GatorCountry brings you a new podcast as we continue to preview the Florida Gators vs. Tennessee game on Saturday in Knoxville.
Andrew Spivey and Nick de la Torre are joined by Trey Wallace from Fox Sports Knoxville to get his thoughts on the game and his keys for both teams on Saturday.
Andrew and Nick also continue to break down the game as they give you their keys for Florida on Saturday and all starts with the running game.
TRANSCRIPT:
Andrew: What’s up, Gator Country? Your man, Andrew Spivey, here with Nicholas de la Torre. Nicholas, Tennessee hate week. It’s on. It’s in the middle of the week, and Mullen says they’re going to play Rocky Top. I’m so glad I don’t have to listen to that in practice.
Nick: Listen, I understand why Gator fans don’t like Rocky Top. It’s Tennessee’s song.
Andrew: It’s annoying, Nick.
Nick: If you take your orange and blue glasses off, Rocky Top is an objectively catchy song.
Andrew: It’s annoying. It is annoying. It is like a reoccurring dream that you can’t get out of your head. It’s annoying, Nick. I don’t care what you say.
Nick: It’s catchy.
Andrew: It isn’t catchy. It’s annoying.
Nick: It’s a catchy song.
Andrew: No, no, no. There is no way, shape, or form you’re making me believe it’s catchy. No. It is worse than their godawful uniforms they wear in what my grandpa calls throw up orange.
Nick: Throw up orange. It’s creamsicle. Rocky Top, objectively catchy.
Andrew: No. It’s objectively stupid.
Nick: We’ll ask Trey.
Andrew: We will ask Trey. We’re going to bring on our man in a few seconds here, Mr. Trey Wallace from Fox Sports Knoxville up there. Formerly with the It’s Optional. Still does a little bit of work for there. Quick little side note, Trey and I are from the same area. Both 251 boys. We’ll talk to him. Nick, without further ado, let’s go to Trey and talk to Trey.
Nick: Do it.
Andrew: Welcome back, guys. We’re with my man, Trey Wallace, from Fox Sports Knoxville. Trey, Alabama to Tennessee, what’s going on, my man? I told the listeners before you and I rep that 251 together. Now we’re on opposing sides.
Trey: It’s not even really opposing sides. We’re just doing our jobs here. There is no bias. We both represent the 251. At least our football team down there got a win this past week, and now we look forward to this big matchup on Saturday. You guys will enjoy hearing Rocky Top at least two or three times during the game.
Nick: Two or three times during the game. Even if Tennessee loses 150-0, I guarantee I’ll hear Rocky Top at least 12 times.
Trey: That’s because I’m going to come over there in the press box and find you, and I’m just going to blast it in your ear.
Nick: I’m fine with that.
Andrew: I’m not fine with that.
Nick: Objectively good song. Objectively catchy.
Andrew: No. No, no, and no. More no. No more Rocky Top. Trey, I have to ask you this. This rivalry is a rivalry that, let’s face it, in the ‘90s, 2000s, the winner of this game won the East. 99% of the time it did. Both of these teams are coming back from rebuild mode. You have Tennessee losing their last nine against Power 5, Florida the last seven. Both teams enter the game on Saturday with losing streaks against SEC schools. Does this game start the rivalry again? I guess, who is this game more important for?
Trey: I think it’s so fierce Saturday night, because of the implications that come after this game. It’s like with Tennessee. Tennessee needs this win, because it’s going to help them, in a way, with recruiting. It’s going to build confidence in the coaching staff and for the players. Also, let’s not forget, it’s going to help Tennessee get to a bowl game.
Nick: It might be the only way they get to a bowl game.
Trey: Exactly, because that stretch where they have to play Georgia, Auburn, Alabama, South Carolina in a span of about five and a half weeks, that really changes the game when it comes to Tennessee trying to get somewhere when it comes to December and possibly January, those weird bowl games. I look at it as a big to-do for Tennessee.
I think Dan Mullen and Florida need this win, because they can not be embarrassed again, in a sense of having a team rush for so many yards, because that’s what Tennessee is going to do on Saturday. Also, Florida fans, they’re feeling a little iffy. You know what I mean? I’ve talked to people. They’re excited about Dan Mullen, but it’s still like enough with the slogans and the promises. Let’s go on the field and make things happen. I think that’s where we stand Saturday night.
It renews this rivalry, because the last four years this game has come down pretty much to the last play. I mean, I know the Tennessee game where they went 30-point swing and turned it around, but it happened really on one swift play that turned the game around. I look at it as it’s big for both teams, and I think that’s why it’s going to be on at 7:00 on ESPN Saturday night.
Andrew: Here’s my thing, Trey. It goes to what you say. Yes, Florida fans are very iffy giving Mullen hope, whatever. You can’t start 0-2 in the SEC for Mullen. That’s A. B, at the same token that Tennessee may not make a bowl game if they don’t win this game, you can say the same for Florida. You got Mississippi State coming down, or going to Mississippi State next week. You have LSU coming to town. You have a Vanderbilt team that’s not near Vanderbiltish as past ones. Then you have Georgia and South Carolina. You’re looking at not very many for sure wins, only really Idaho left as a for sure win on the schedule. Mullen or Pruitt can’t afford to go without a bowl in Year 1, from recruiting and from a standpoint of building the base back.
Trey: Right. I agree. I think it’s something where you look at the schedules, you look at even Florida’s, and you know me, guys, I pay attention to all of this. Even the Vanderbilt game is not a win for either Tennessee or Florida, because I’m telling you something, Vanderbilt actually has some talent. They have a lot of good talent when it comes to the offense, and they came up just short against Notre Dame this past weekend.
I look at this, and with all the recruits coming in Saturday for Pruitt, and then the way Florida’s schedule plays out, with them being able to get that beautiful home game with LSU coming off the two game hurricane deal, I think things are set up where Pruitt and Dan, they both know they have to have this one, and if they don’t have this one, I expect, in a sense, Tennessee might lose one or two guys. I know a lot of people think it’s one football game, you can’t take much from it, but I look at it as where are they going to get their wins the rest of the season? I think recruits see this as well.
It goes both ways for both teams. Come later in the week, this thing will get built up even more and more. I just think this is a game Dan Mullen or Jeremy Pruitt can’t lose. They know it, and I think that’s why Tennessee closed down practice yesterday as well.
Nick: We haven’t had open practice since the season started.
Trey: You haven’t had an open practice since the season started?
Nick: No. All closed down.
Andrew: All closed down. Trey, let me ask you this. Nick and I were talking about this on our Monday podcast. I think this game ends up being a traditional, old-school Florida-Tennessee game. Whoever can run the ball wins the game. When you look at Tennessee, you have Tim Jordan and Tyler Chandler as the two leading rushers heading into the game at the running back position. I think Tennessee will get the running game going. Florida, on the other hand, Feleipe Franks is still one of their leading ball carriers. You have Jordan Scarlett as iffy and Lamical Perine there and Damien Pierce there, with Malik Davis out. I guess, from what you’re hearing and what Jeremy Pruitt said on Monday, is that something Jeremy Pruitt is doing, he’s going to come in and force Feleipe to beat them through the air?
Trey: Yes. The way he talked about Dan Mullen’s offense, and I asked him that question. I said, look, you’ve coached against a Dan Mullen offense the last couple years, how do you go about that? He had high praise of Feleipe Franks, but he also knows that Dan is not scared to go for it on 4th down, and they like to long play this out on the 3rd. I think that, when you look at it, I expect Florida to come in with a running back group. They’re down Malik Davis, but this is a still a running back group that I put up against anybody else in the SEC.
Now, here’s the problem. It’s unfortunate that, and I guess I can get y’all’s take, either the offensive line down there is not protecting, or the schemes aren’t adding up, because you look at what Tennessee is able to do with a running game with an offensive line on the right side that cannot block. So, I think this is going to be one of those gritty games where whoever gets to 150-175 yards rushing first is going to end up winning it. I hope it’s not like that game years ago where Treon Harris came in and won it with a 10-9 game.
I’m telling you, something make me feel like this is going to be a 17-14, 21-17 type game, where whoever can get the most out of their running backs, and then whichever quarterback can make the least mistakes, is going to come out of Knoxville with a win. That might be easy to say, but Guarantano, I know he’s high on his completion rate, but he hasn’t thrown the ball much. Then you look at Feleipe Franks, he’s got a great arm, and he’s got great talent. My biggest was can he read the defenses. Now, he’s starting to pick that up a little bit, but he’s still kind of turnover prone. I’m interested to see how this plays out come Saturday, with two quarterbacks that need this game to make a statement.
Andrew: 21-17 is my pick.
Nick: I know it’s rivalry week, so the lips are buttoned up this week, but you’re really plugged in there at Tennessee. I’m under the opinion that Jeremy Pruitt knows this Florida game killed the two guys that preceded me. Killed Butch Jones. Killed Derek Dooley. Not being able to beat Florida didn’t give them any kind of job security, regardless of what they did the rest of the seasons. Obviously, you need to beat Alabama every once in a while as well, but it’s really that Florida game. Especially since Florida hadn’t been the powerhouse that Alabama was, so why aren’t we beating Florida? That was the question.
Does Jeremy Pruitt know that? Has he been putting, he’s not going to say it, but more emphasis on this Florida game, thinking even if I don’t get a bowl game in Year 1, am I going to get more time and more leeway from the fanbase and from my bosses, because I beat Florida?
Trey: If it’s close on Saturday, you’ll hear the crazies that don’t think right. They’ll start to complain and moan a little bit. If he wins, it’s a different ballgame, because Tennessee fans will be happy for a little bit. They know this is going to be a long turnaround here, but they’ll be happy at least to have something to cheer about before they head into the death sequence in October.
Now, the problem with what Jeremy Pruitt is doing is that a lot of people haven’t seen it. I think it’s been on purpose. I talked to some folks last night. The offense that you’ve seen from Tennessee has been pretty vanilla. They’ve run the ball right, left, and then a couple play actions. We haven’t seen Jarrett Guarantano stretch the field yet. We haven’t seen Jauan Jennings. He had a touchdown last weekend, but it was like a 10-yard post that he hit the corner on.
I think you’re going to see that wide open this weekend. I think Tennessee tries to stretch the field with Callaway and Jennings. They have that ability to do that. Jennings is ready to be unleashed, is what I was told. He’s healthy and ready to go. They’re just trying to get his legs underneath him, and I understand that. You’ve got to get more productivity out of him. Tennessee has the weapons, and them having Ty Chandler back is very key.
I look at this as thinking Jeremy Pruitt, I think Pruitt needs this win more than Florida, but I look back on that, and I say it with Pruitt needs this win, because the Tennessee fanbase is dying for some kind of big win. I think that’s why it will be so rabid Saturday night. It’ll remind me of Oklahoma game a couple years ago, but just for different reasons. Just because Tennessee needs a damn SEC win, guys. It’s been a year now.
Andrew: I mean, when you replay that stat, nine straight Power 5 losses and seven for Florida, that’s insane. That’s insane.
Nick: That caught me completely off guard.
Andrew: I mean, that’s insane. I’m with you, Trey. I think 21-17 is there. I think, personally, and I told this to Nick on Monday, I think both coaches will never admit to it, but I think both coaches have held a little bit back. I definitely think that Florida has held a little bit back with Kadarius Toney, and maybe a package for Emory Jones in that. Listen, Jeremy Pruitt knows how to stop a Dan Mullen offense. He’s done it before at several different stops. For me, it’s going to come down to the running game, like you say. It’s going to be old-school. I think both coaches are under the pressure a little bit, after Florida lost to Kentucky in the way they did, and Tennessee opened the season with the loss to West Virginia, as bad as it was. Even though most people expected West Virginia to win that game.
Trey: I look at it, the Tennessee schedule is not going to be … You were kind of breaking up there for a second, so if you could rephrase the question that would be perfect.
Andrew: Yeah. I just said I was agreeing with you. I said I think that both coaching staffs, in a way, are holding things back. I think Florida’s held some things back with Toney, with Emory Jones, just like you think with Pruitt. I just think that both coaches, after bad losses already on their schedule, are a little bit under the pressure. I don’t think either coach will admit that and admit that they’re holding things back, but I think going into the game they’re holding a little bit back. You have to in this game. I think both coaches also understand, listen, this is a rivalry game, and especially these guys, who they worked under. Pruitt knows from Saban, you better beat your rivals. Mullen, under Urban, knows you better beat your rivals.
Trey: I agree. I think it’s something too where you look at it with what Dan Mullen is trying to do. A lot of people want to get on Florida for these videos they’ve put out and stuff like that. I guess I kind of get it, but I don’t think it’s a big deal overall, when they’re trying to build up the program and the relentless effort that he’s putting out there and he’s talking about. They understand the rivalry detail in this. Pruitt talked about it yesterday during his press conference. He understands growing up Tennessee-Florida was the game that you watched to start off the SEC season.
So, both of these guys understand what they’re getting into. Pruitt is a little more, I would say, I hate to use the word Sabanesque, but it seems like sometimes he doesn’t care, but he actually does deep down, and you know it. That’s the one thing that Pruitt does differently. He’s not going to show his emotions too much. He’s going to be stoic when he talks about this, but he understands the rivalry and how big this is for Tennessee to beat Florida.
I think that goes back to, like you said, his days of the Alabama-Auburn games, the FSU-Florida games, the Georgia-Auburn. He understands these rivalries. Also, let’s be real here. He gets Tennessee-Florida, because Tennessee-Florida, for the past 30 years, has been kind of the game. I mean, it’s hard to explain to people outside of the Southeast about Tennessee-Florida. I said this the whole time, the last four weeks. I said Texas A&M and Alabama will get the 2:30, the 3:30 game, because it’s Alabama on CBS, and that’s what they’re going to do. I said, I promise you, Tennessee is going to have a night game, and ESPN is going to pick it up. It’s because of how big this game is and how electric that crowd will be come Saturday night.
Andrew: You think about, Trey. I can’t even think about how many years, but it was 10+ years where it was the opening of the SEC season, first game on CBS. That was when CBS didn’t do any nonconference games. It was the first game on CBS. That rolled it out, and it was Florida-Tennessee at 3:30, whether it was in Knoxville or whether it was in Gainesville. That was the game. You better come prepared to win that game, or you were already a leg behind in the SEC standings.
Trey: Right. I mean, look at South Carolina and Georgia. That’s turned into somewhat of a game, but then the curb stomping happened this past year, and now Georgia is two games up on South Carolina, who a lot of people thought would vie for second in the East. I’m saying with this rivalry it was always whoever wins this game, the loser is just staring at the other opponent’s schedule now and trying to figure out where they can come up with two losses for that tiebreaker. That’s how it’s been the last couple years.
It was like that recently when Florida went down to Baton Rouge, and they got the win right there on the goal line, where they stopped LSU. That was another part of that rivalry, where Florida kind of stuck it to Tennessee, in a sense of you have no shot now of going to the SEC title game. You almost did. Now it’s over with. It’s been a rivalry. It’s been a big one.
Look, the national scene has come on so big that it kind of takes away from the luster of some of these rivalry games, but this is Tennessee-Florida. It’s never going away. Once these squads get bigger and better, it’ll only get even crazier. I looked forward to the day in three to four years where Tennessee and Florida are both 3-0 heading into their matchup and Game Day is coming to town again, for either one of them. It kind of changes up. Until then, we deal with what Mullen and Pruitt out putting out, that we both hope for good records to get to bowl games. I promise you, the rebuilding process for both of these squads, it’s going to happen. Fans have just got to be patient.
Nick: Now, Andrew’s feelings on Tennessee have been pretty apparent, but I think that there’s a little switch going on, because his boy, his Alabama boy, Jeremy Pruitt, is there. I pose one last question to you. Is Andrew Spivey a sleeper agent for Tennessee now? I feel there’s a change in his tone towards Tennessee ever since Jeremy Pruitt, a Bama boy, got there.
Trey: Look, I’ve heard Spivey was a very big fan of Two-A-Days, like he owns the box set now.
Nick: I think it’s autographed.
Trey: Right. Nothing would surprise me about that. I could see Andrew as one of those guys that, Coach Pruitt, I need an autograph on my box set of Two-A-Days, and I’m rooting for you now, coach, secretly. I can’t tell anybody, but cornbread and Two-A-Days, that’s how I roll.
Andrew: Oh, Lord. Let me just tell you one thing. There’s a couple things in life that are guaranteed, death, paying taxes, and hating Tennessee. This boy right here will never, there’s a couple things that I will take my bias and put it out there and say that I’d never ever root for Tennessee, and I never ever root for Mark Richt. That’s the only two things I’ll tell you. Nick, pose the question to Trey, and we’ll get out of here.
Nick: Prediction time, Trey. I know it’s early in the week. How do you see this game going? Who’s coming out happy on Saturday night?
Trey: I think Tennessee comes in healthy. I think that’s one thing that they have not had in the last three years, just a healthy group of players. You see Florida is hurt. Malik Davis is out. Look, Florida’s got themselves a backfield. They drop one running back, they can add another. I think this game comes down to momentum Saturday. I’m not quite liking the spread as it sits right now. Until they do it, I ain’t going to predict it. I think it’s 21-17 Gators Saturday night.
Andrew: That sounds good. Trey, tell everybody where they can find you real quick. We’ll get you out of here, and we will talk to you very soon.
Trey: Absolutely. You guys, I’m on Fox Sports Knoxville. The app is WKGN. We talk all SEC every day, football, baseball, basketball, doesn’t really matter. We’ll throw a little NFL in there. You guys know how I do it. Continuing with the SEC coverage. Just because I’m in Knoxville doesn’t mean I cover Tennessee two hours every day, but we’re on 1-3 daily. You can also follow at TheReadOptional.com. I appreciate you boys very much. Nick, look forward to seeing you Saturday. Andrew, look forward to having you on later in the week, brother.
Andrew: That’s right. Trey, as always, go Jags, man.
Trey: Go Jags, buddy. Represent the 251 and Malik Rosier at Miami.
Nick: South in your mouth.
Andrew: There you go. Trey, we appreciate you, my man.
Trey: Thanks, guys.
Andrew: Guys, we’re back. Good stuff with my man, Trey. Nick, good friend of both of ours. We’ll continue breaking this game down. I go back to what Trey said on the running game and all that. I do think it’s going to be a game where whoever can run the ball is going to win this game. The one thing, Nick, that I look at in this game is if Tennessee does get the running game going, I just fear that play action and that kind of stuff is going to hurt Florida’s secondary, who’s already shaky. We’ll see how Shawn Davis comes about. He did practice on Monday. We’re taping this Tuesday afternoon, so don’t know about how he responded and is on Tuesday. I think that’s a key. David Reese is a key. If Tennessee is able to get the running game going, and they’re now two dimensional, where they’re able to run and pass, I worry about the secondary.
Nick: Yeah. I know Shawn Davis practiced, but judging by the way that, I guess, Dan Mullen has kind of treated guys who have missed time, and Shawn’s missed …
Andrew: Over a month.
Nick: Way over a month. So, do I expect him to play this week? No.
Andrew: Yeah.
Nick: But getting him back, at least from a depth perspective, is certainly good. He’s a talented player, and I think he’s someone who probably would have been your starting safety had he not been hurt when he was. So, getting him back, obviously not getting played you’re not getting him back, but, yeah. The secondary, interesting to say. I don’t like the vanilla, we didn’t show anything. We weren’t calling plays. I get that it happens, but I feel like it’s used as an excuse too much. I know you and Trey were talking about it just there. I just think Dan Mullen’s offense isn’t that super creative. I don’t think it was when he was at Florida, and I think people took exception with that. I don’t think it was super creative, other than times, certainly there will be games where you have a nice good game plan, creative game plan, but I think it’s kind of we’re seeing the bread and butter of what his offense is, with the talent that he has, with the skill players that he has.
Andrew: Someone on the message board posted this. When you think back, I guess it kind of makes a little bit of sense now. They said, for every play Dan Mullen called that was good, he had three that said, what are you doing? I think you can agree with that. Look, I said it. I may be completely wrong. I may be completely wrong. It won’t be the last time, and it sure won’t be the first time that I’m completely wrong. For some reason, I just feel like there has got to be something he’s holding back in the running game. Nick, there’s just no way this is Dan Mullen’s offense. I mean, we’re talking preseason, and you and I were talking, and I said Dan Mullen likes to be 50-50. I believe you corrected me and said, no, I think it’s more like 60-40, 65-35, run to pass. Nick, we’re not getting that right now.
Listen, Malik Davis going down sucks and everything. You missed a good player, but you still have three really good running backs there in Scarlett, Perine, and Damien Pierce that you can still get the running game going. Then, Nick, I’m just not sold that he’s going to continue running Feleipe Franks as much as he is. I could be wrong, and I could be stupid and everything else you want to throw as an adjective to me. I just don’t think that that’s going to be the case forever this year.
Again, I think Kadarius Toney has got to get more action, and Trevon Grimes as well. I think that the whole list of players who make catches and run the ball has to start dwindling down at some time. Then again, we always said that about Mac, and it never happened. Maybe it’s there. Again, it’s all speculative on my part about whether they’re holding something back. I just think they have to be.
Nick: I said that, I think, after the first game, after the Charleston Southern game. I said, cool that you got 14 guys touched the ball. You got to fix that. That’s not a thing. You need to find the guys that you’re going to lean on and lean on those guys. Right now, Florida is running the ball 55% of the time, so it’s a 55-45 split right now.
Andrew: See, I think that’s misleading in a way.
Nick: Some of those are scrambles. I don’t think you’re calling 55% runs. I think some of those are scrambles, things like that.
Andrew: Right. That’s what I was saying. I think that that’s a little misleading. I would say that it’s probably 55% of the time calling passing plays for that. Something Trey said, Nick, and it’s something we haven’t really talked a ton about, and that is when you go back and you look at this Tennessee offensive line, they’re not very good either really, especially that right side. I think Grantham has to get aggressive in this game as well. Make Jarrett, however you say his last name, whatever, I’m just going to call him Jarrett, beat you.
Nick: Jarrett from Subway.
Andrew: Whatever. I think he’s from Jersey. Jarrett from Jersey. He has to beat you throwing the ball, for sure, and you’re going to have to put pressure on him. Get creative in your blitz package. We all know you got them, Grantham. Throw them out there. It’s a situation where if you allow him to sit back there, just like if you allow Feleipe to sit back there, they’re going to beat you. As bad as quarterback they can be when they get pressure, anyone can sit back there all day and throw the ball. Got to get pressure. Then, shut the run down. The same game plan on defense can be used both ways, in my opinion.
Nick: Yeah. I think that’s a thing, especially with the way Tennessee’s offensive line has looked. I don’t know. Obviously, I haven’t watched every single team play this year, but of the teams I’ve watched, I think they’re right up there with FSU in terms of trash offensive line. So, go ahead. If it takes five to get pressure, bring five. If it takes six, bring six. I think you need to come in there with the attitude that we’re going to get at the quarterback. We’re going to get after the quarterback today. However, it is that we have to do it, if we can get pressure with four, then we’ll only bring four. That’s tough, but if you need to bring eight guys to get pressure, I think you need to get pressure on the quarterback this week.
Andrew: Again, I don’t think it’s even eight. It’s just get creative. I know what you’re saying.
Nick: I’m just saying whatever it takes. If you can get pressure with two guys, then cool. Drop nine in coverage.
Andrew: Right. You look at what Florida was doing with Chauncey Gardner, CJ Henderson last week, and that is bringing that star, that corner, off the edge to blitz. Bringing a linebacker here, even bringing one of your safeties down and going after it. Whatever it may be, you’ve got to do it. Listen, that’s what Jeremy Pruitt is going to do, got to do, as well. I haven’t watched enough Tennessee on defense in the last two games. I know what they did in West Virginia. They didn’t bring a ton. Pruitt is the same way. He needs to bring pressure and get creative as well, because if you allow him back there, Feleipe, to get comfortable, it’s the same problem. It’s weird to say that you go into this game thinking the two teams have the exact same problems, but that’s exactly what they have. Neither one of them have an established quarterback. Neither one of them have a very good offensive line. Neither one of them has shown the ability to run at will.
Nick: Something’s got to give, right? You would think. Something’s got to give this week.
Andrew: You would think so. I mean, when you look back at this game in general, it’s always who runs the ball the best will win the game. You look at Tennessee though, through their first three games, including two cupcake games, they’ve only rushed the ball for 664 yards in total in those three games. That equals out to a little over 200 yards a game, but still you have to go into this game and force them to pass the ball and take away the run. It’s just it sounds so easy, but it’s not. It’s going to be that. Whoever runs the ball wins the game.
Nick: Do you think Florida can run the ball?
Andrew: Yes, if they get creative. Listen, I say whoever runs the ball, and let me go back to that and go back to a point we made on Monday. You might start with opening up with some quick game to the outside, some swing passes, some stand passes, some slants. Some extended running plays is what I like to call them, anything that’s short passes real quick, quick game that could get to the edge, that kind of stuff. Then establish the running game. I do. Again, I think that Tennessee’s defense isn’t great, really, either. I think that they can get enough to get some running game going.
Listen, the running backs are good anyway. I do want to see more Perine and more Damien Pierce. I think Damien Pierce has just earned the right. I mean, you’re getting into the meat of the SEC schedule. You’re going to need a horse like Damien Pierce that’s just a bowling ball through there. You’re going to need a guy like Lamical Perine in 3rd down.
Nick: Right now, Tennessee is averaging giving up just over 112 yards a game. That’s ninth best in the SEC. Florida is giving up, ready for this? 198 yards on the ground a game.
Andrew: Very un-Florida like.
Nick: Teams have run the ball 126 times against them for 595 yards. That’s 4.72 yards per carry. Second worst in the SEC. Only worse team is Mississippi, who doesn’t even bother trying to pretend that they’re interested in playing defense.
Andrew: That’s bad.
Nick: LSU and Mississippi State are going to run for eleventy billion against Florida, especially if they keep not being able to tackle.
Andrew: Yeah. Nick, let’s look at this game from one other perspective before we get out of here. Rivalry games, we always talk about it, coaches always talk about it, rivalry games are won and lost on special teams. If I’m looking at this game, Florida has the edge. However, Tennessee does have one punt returned for a touchdown already. If you look at it overall, Florida’s played much better special team than Tennessee has in the game. You’re going on the road. Listen, the easiest way to shut Tennessee’s crowd up is to make some big plays on special teams and give your offense the chance to have a short field and put points on the board. I’ll ask you this question, Nick. If that happens, does either team lay down? If they get behind 14 points, does either team lay down? I think the answer to that question, from my perspective, is I don’t know. I don’t know yet about either team, how they’ll respond.
Nick: I’d say right now, honestly, and people won’t like this, but I’d say right now honestly this week I’d probably say Florida is more likely to, just because I’m really expecting the atmosphere and the environment at Florida to kind of carry the Vols a little bit.
Andrew: At Tennessee.
Nick: Yeah. I think with the crowd the way it will be, even if Tennessee gets down a little bit early, they’ve seen Florida. Florida was up at home against Kentucky and ended up losing that game. I think the Tennessee fans will keep them in it. Now, if you’re down 21-0 and the fans start booing, then that could change. I think the fans will keep them in it.
Andrew: Okay. There you go. I continue to look at this game from so many perspectives, and I just kind of see a mirror image on both sides. I see both teams that are desperate for a big win. I see both teams needing a win to carry some momentum. Listen, that game at Mississippi State next week for Florida is tough. That game for Tennessee next week with Georgia is tough. Is a win this week and carrying momentum into that going to push them to a victory? No. But Florida is much better off going into Mississippi State with a little momentum and confidence, and Tennessee is much better off going into that game with some momentum and confidence as well. For a lot of reasons, like we talked about, for the future of the programs, both of them. Listen, all rebuilds have to start somewhere. No better way to start that rebuild than in a rivalry game against Tennessee, and in Tennessee’s case against Florida.
I do think, from a recruiting perspective, it’s probably bigger for Tennessee. Simply because Tennessee recruits in the state of Florida more. Florida doesn’t really recruit in the state of Tennessee very much. Again, two losses on your record for Florida wouldn’t look good for recruiting. Vice versa for Tennessee, two losses for them doesn’t look good.
Nick: I agree. I think you hit the nail on the head right there with the recruiting part. Florida’s really not going into the state of Tennessee for it. That’s why I think a game against Florida State, in terms of rivalry, is probably bigger for recruiting than one game against Tennessee. A lot of people that are between Florida and Tennessee will look at this game. Those are the kids from Florida that Tennessee is trying get. I agree with you on that point. The state of Florida has got so many kids. The state of Tennessee, Florida is not going up there to find many guys.
Andrew: Exactly.
Nick: Except Max [Inaudible 00:39:18]
Andrew: Man oh man. Wow. That brought back some memories. I wonder what old Max is doing these days.
Nick: I don’t know. His buddy Jalen is playing some good football on Jacksonville.
Andrew: Florida had a guy who is now somehow or another working in the NFL who accidentally threw his tape away, because he didn’t think he was very good. That’s a conversation for another day.
Nick: That’s neither here nor there.
Andrew: There you go. Nick, any final points before we get out of here on this matchup? There’s a lot to talk about, for sure. We’re missing a ton. We only have 50 minutes in line for the podcast every time, so it’s tough. Again, I think I say it enough, and that is it’s a mirror image on both sides.
Nick: I agree with that point.
Andrew: Got to run the ball.
Nick: If the tackling is not there … I think I expect, barring a setback, I think I expect David Reese to play this week, and that will help you. I think Cece kind of helped that defensive line last week as well. Maybe I’m a little more encouraged about the tackling and the run defense heading into this game, but I agree with you. I think it’s going to be won on the ground, especially when you look at these two quarterbacks, where not many teams are going to be beating down your door to trade quarterbacks with you.
Andrew: Exactly. Got to do that. Got to go in and handle your business. No turnovers as well. That’s always a key. Turnovers and easy points. Pick six one way or the other could turn this game around. Special teams probably win this game, or helps decide this game. It is that. Listen, Dan, I’m going to give you a little intel here. Don’t lose to Tennessee. Don’t. A, your man Andrew Spivey here can’t handle it. I can’t handle it. B, it’s about winning rivalry games. It’s what Mac couldn’t do. It’s what Muschamp couldn’t do. You got to win rivalry games. It’s Tennessee. You better beat them. Georgia, you better find ways to beat them. Florida State. You better find ways to beat those three. That’s it.
Nick: Here’s my thing. I think if you lose at Tennessee, then you lose at Mississippi State, and you lose to LSU. Now you’re on a three-game losing streak. You’re 2-4, and you have to go to Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt looks good. You don’t want to be 2-4 going to Vanderbilt.
Andrew: Then you got Georgia in Jacksonville after the buy week. Then South Carolina.
Nick: Missouri, then South Carolina. Yeah.
Andrew: Missouri, then South Carolina. Sorry. Your schedule becomes really rough. Look at Willie Taggert right now, 1-2. You don’t want that. It’s the case. It’s the same thing with Jeremy Pruitt. Jeremy Pruitt is 2-1 right now. Got his death stare of a schedule heading down the road, and things don’t look easy there either. The one thing Mullen does have over Pruitt is Mullen has established he knows how to win. Pruitt, he hasn’t established nothing. He’s established he’s a good defensive coordinator. I said best, I think, Nick, before, and that is he’s been ran off everywhere he’s been. Why is that? I think we’ll find out that this week.
Anyway, Nick, tell everybody where they can find us. We’ll get out of here, and we’ll see everyone on Friday.
Nick: www.GatorCountry.com for all your Florida Gator news. The podcast is there in audio and transcript form. I got a whole list for you now, thanks to our guy, Ray. Now it’s gone. Never mind. Podcast is anywhere you listen to your podcasts. Go there. Subscribe. Just search @GatorCountry. Search Gator Country. Subscribe. It’s always there. It’ll be on SoundCloud soon, I think, as well. iTunes store, Google Play, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn. It’s everywhere. Just search @GatorCountry. Do your social media thing. @GatorCountry on Facebook and Twitter. @TheGatorCountry on Instagram. Follow me @NickdelaTorreGC, and him @AndrewSpiveyGC.
Andrew: There you go. Do all that. Things are going, looking up for the site. Got a lot of cool things going. Quick little shout out to our guys over at Moe’s. They’re the official sponsor of the Gator Country podcast. We really appreciate those guys. Had a winner last week for the Colorado State tailgate. We’ll be doing more for the LSU game, so be on the lookout for that starting on Monday. We’ll start advertising that as well. I think we’re going to do something different for who wins that one. It’s a lot of good stuff, Nick. I know you love your Moe’s tailgate.
Nick: Absolutely. Welcome to Moe’s. That’s me all day. I might go to Moe’s today. It’s not Moe’s Monday, but I might go.
Andrew: When’s the last time you had Moe’s?
Nick: Yesterday. Monday. We’re taping this Tuesday, so Monday.
Andrew: Oh brother. Whatever. I think Nicks is going to wear a Moe’s logo on his shirts on Saturdays.
Nick: I might get a tattoo.
Andrew: You might get a tattoo. There you go. Guys, we appreciate it. We’ll get out of here. We’ll see everyone on Friday for prediction time. Maybe a little bit more hate. No more Rocky Top, because that’s annoying. As always, guys, go Braves and chomp, chomp.
Nick: You stay classy, Gator Country.