Tennessee football: Five reasons Vols can upset Florida Gators

KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 08: Head coach Jeremy Pruitt of the Tennessee Volunteers brings his team onto the field prior to a game against the East Tennessee State University Buccaneers at Neyland Stadium on September 8, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennesee won the game 59-3. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 08: Head coach Jeremy Pruitt of the Tennessee Volunteers brings his team onto the field prior to a game against the East Tennessee State University Buccaneers at Neyland Stadium on September 8, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennesee won the game 59-3. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images)
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Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images
Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images

1. Tennessee can exploit Florida’s biggest concern.

Feleipe Franks’s season-ending injury falls under the previous factor of health. But who is behind Franks is what leads us to this final reason that Tennessee football can pull off the upset. And it’s a gigantic reason.

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Kyle Trask may have led the Gators back against the Kentucky Wildcats, but Jeremy Pruitt has a week to prepare for him now. And with Daniel Bituli back, the inside linebackers developing as a whole, and the pass rush a major strength for this team, an immobile quarterback like Trask is the perfect guy for Pruitt and Derrick Ansley to attack.

Meanwhile, outside of one major lapse against the BYU Cougars and horrible positioning to contain the Georgia State Panthers’ rushing attack, the Vols have been pretty solid in the secondary. If Florida, as we noted, can’t run it, and they have an immobile quarterback forced to throw it, UT could have just what it takes to dominate this one defensively.

Again, Bryce Thompson being back, whether or not it’s right, helps with that, as does Nigel Warrior’s leadership. Dan Mullen noted he would try to use two quarterbacks with Emory Jones also in there, but both Trask and Jones are backups, and they represent a change of pace. How prepared would the Florida offense be for that without making tons of mistakes?

Simply put, Florida’s biggest concern is now going to be quarterback play on Saturday, and Tennessee football can exploit that. If they do, you just might see the upset of the century to get Pruitt and his guys back on track.