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Tennessee football: Five reasons Vols could upset Florida

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 22: Smokey the live Tennessee Volunteers mascot on the sidelines during the game between the Florida Gators and Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium on September 22, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Florida won the game 47-21. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 22: Smokey the live Tennessee Volunteers mascot on the sidelines during the game between the Florida Gators and Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium on September 22, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Florida won the game 47-21. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images) /
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Nov 7, 2020; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Tennessee Volunteers running back Eric Gray (3) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Arkansas Razorbacks during the second quarter at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 7, 2020; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Tennessee Volunteers running back Eric Gray (3) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Arkansas Razorbacks during the second quarter at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports /

4. Florida tends to start slow, and the Vols tend to start fast

Despite its issues all year, Tennessee football has been really good in games early on. In three of their five losses, the Vols were either tied or leading at halftime. They scored the first touchdown against the Georgia Bulldogs, the Arkansas Razorbacks and the Auburn Tigers.

Against Georgia, they took a 21-17 lead into halftime, and they had 13-0 and 10-0 starts against Arkansas and Auburn respectively. For the Vols, holding onto the lead has been the difficult part, not building the lead.

The Florida Gators are the opposite. Just last week, they trailed the Kentucky Wildcats late in the second quarter. Before that, they allowed the Vanderbilt Commodores, the worst team in maybe SEC history, to take a 10-7 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Arkansas tied them in the first quarter, the Missouri Tigers led them 7-6 in the second, and they spotted Georgia a 14-0 lead. Oh, even the South Carolina Gamecocks took a 7-0 lead on them. It takes these guys a while to get going.

Now, it’s true the Vols blow leads and the Gators score quickly, but could this difference allow UT to set a massive tone early? It’s possible. Doubling down on this disparity could give them a huge advantage to start things off.

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