Tennessee football at Florida: 10 keys for Vols and Gators
1. Can the Vols stave off Florida’s pass-rush at all?
This is the big reason Jarrett Guarantano needs to make sure he is thinking quickly. Tennessee football is in for a brutal attack on Saturday from the Florida Gators’ front seven. If they aren’t ready, they will get abused.
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Overlooked in the Gators’ ugly win against the Miami Hurricanes to start the season was the fact that they came away with 10 sacks in that game. And they did it against a mobile quarterback, something Guarantano hasn’t shown much of yet. Imagine what they could do against an immobile quarterback whose passing plays are all slow-developing.
For the year, Florida has 16 sacks, meaning they picked up six more after that Miami game. So they know how to rush the passer and get in the backfield. It’s by far the biggest reason they’re 3-0, regardless of how concerning their offense may be.
Can the Vols stop it? Well, they need their offensive line to develop more, and they may have found consistency with Trey Smith and Darnell Wright in the middle and Wanya Morris and K’Rojhn Calbert on the outside while Brandon Kennedy snaps the ball. It’s also worth bringing up Jabari Zuniga again, as he leads Florida with three sacks but is questionable Saturday.
Next. Top five Vols performers vs. Chattanooga. dark
Zuniga’s health and the development of Tennessee football’s offensive line will help determine just how much of a pass rush Florida is able to generate. But make no mistake, they will be coming for Guarantano. And he’s got to be ready.