Meyer finding feel for Florida-Tennessee rivalry
The fifth-ranked Gators host the No. 6 Volunteers on Saturday, a game that usually plays a pivotal role in determining the Southeastern Conference Eastern Division champion.
Meyer invited former Florida linebacker James Bates to talk to his team a few weeks ago, giving players and new coaches some insight into the rivalry. He also had staff members put together a highlight video depicting key moments in series history.
But Meyer said he will find out more by talking to players who have faced Tennessee.
“You can read about it, you can do this and do that, but every place I’ve been you get a real sense of the rivalry (from talking to players),” Meyer said Sunday. “There are respectful rivalries and hatred rivalries. Do they come with a little different step when they show up Monday at 7 a.m? I’m anxious to see this. I’ve already talked to some guys about it.”
The Gators spent little time revisiting their 41-3 victory against Louisiana Tech on Saturday night. Instead, they turned their attention to the Vols.
Tennessee, which plays consecutive road games against Florida and LSU, opened the season with a lackluster 17-10 win over UAB.
The Gators haven’t been as sharp as they would like, either.
They struggled to run the ball in the opener against Wyoming, gaining 91 yards on 36 carries. Backup quarterback Josh Portis was the team’s leading rusher with 45 yards, which concerned Meyer as much as anything.
But the ground game improved significantly against Louisiana Tech, finishing with 251 yards on 49 attempts. Junior DeShawn Wynn returned from a one-game suspension and ran for a career-high 101 yards and two touchdowns.
The defense has been the bright spot, not allowing any first-half points. The unit has allowed a combined 17 points, but one touchdown came after a special teams breakdown. The field goal followed a fumble by quarterback Chris Leak.
Meyer said the Gators were clearly more talented that their first two opponents. But that will change against the Vols.
“They’re not a team that will wow you with scheme,” Meyer said. “They’re a team that wows you with personnel. They’re as talented a team as I’ve ever coached against. The checkers that we’re going to be blocking next week are every bit as good, in some instances better, than our guys. We better be right on our game.”
The Gators have lost three of four against Tennessee, including the last two games in Gainesville. That’s a big reason players sound unsure about being ready for their first test of the season.
“I don’t know, but that is what we have five more practices for,” center Mike Degory said. “Right now, we just know that we have to improve. I think there was a lot of improvement from game 1 to game 2, but we’ll have to play a lot better in game 3.”
Florida won eight of 12 games against the Vols during Steve Spurrier’s tenure, including five in a row beginning in 1993.
Meyer said he expects the rivalry to compare to others he has experienced, including Ohio State-Michigan, Notre Dame-Michigan, Notre Dame-USC and BYU-Utah.
“Usually you see an intense week of focus and practice,” Meyer said. “I like our coaches’ and players’ preparations, but I would imagine human nature is that you’re going to screw it down this week because the team we’re playing is really talented.”