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Tennessee football vs. Florida: Vols and Gators keys to the game

By Caleb Calhoun

GAINESVILLE, FL - SEPTEMBER 16: The line of scrimmage is seen during the game between the Tennessee Volunteers and Florida Gators at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on September 16, 2017 in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images)
GAINESVILLE, FL - SEPTEMBER 16: The line of scrimmage is seen during the game between the Tennessee Volunteers and Florida Gators at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on September 16, 2017 in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images) /
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2. Which secondary plays better?

Tennessee football and the Florida Gators both are undergoing major schematic changes on defense this year. They’re each switching to the 3-4, which is hard on all units but especially the inside linebackers and the secondary.

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    • Well, for the Vols, those issues showed early. They gave up over 400 passing yards and five touchdowns to Will Grier in their opener against the West Virginia Mountaineers in their 40-14 loss. It was an ugly affair.

    But to be fair to the Vols, WVU is the toughest opponent that either team has faced so far. And since then, they have held their last two opponents, even if they are an FCS team and the worst team in FBS, to under 100 yards passing each.

    Meanwhile, the Gators have only given up an average of 131 passing yards a game. But that’s skewed by their opener against Charleston-Southern, a team that doesn’t throw the ball to begin with and also plays FCS. They only had five yards passing.

    Florida did allow 150 yards to Kentucky, but the Wildcats did so much damage on the ground it didn’t matter. And they allowed 240 passing yards to Colorado State. So they have some issues potentially as well.

    Related Story. 4 improvements Vols need to make ahead of SEC play. light

    Simply put, we have no idea which secondary is struggling more with their transitions just yet. There’s just not enough evidence. Tennessee football is mixing in smart, fundamental cornerbacks like Baylen Buchanan with young, athletic guys like Bryce Thompson and Alontae Taylor to give Jeremy Pruitt some options. Florida is turning to youth as well back there. Somebody’s got to make an impact Saturday. And whomever does will have a huge role in determining this outcome.

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