Tennessee football: Perfect storm brewing if Vols rotate QBs at Florida

‘Tis the season of the rivalry. As Tennessee football visits the Florida Gators Saturday in The Swamp, all signs point to Florida being fueled by pure revenge after a devastating loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide last week.

Can the Vols pull off the upset on the other end? Florida is an outstanding team, they have won four straight 15 of 16 against UT, and they are heavy favorites. However, everyone can have hiccups, especially in the spotlight of this well-known rivalry.

Coming off a 56-0 win over the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles, this should be considered the perfect storm for Tennessee football. Hendon Hooker had an exceptional game against Tennessee Tech, and we also were able to see some of Harrison Bailey.

However, Tennessee Tech is not this Florida beast looking for their next meal. IF the Vols are going to make a statement in Gainesville, they have to use all of the weapons in their arsenal. Yes, that means playing both Bailey and Hooker.

I was super impressed with the way that Bailey answered to crucial situations. He took care of the ball well and found open receivers down field. He also converted a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Although he only went 3-of-7, one of his passes should have been caught by Ramel Keyton, and he did have an impressive first down run on 4th and 7.

Hooker showed plenty of promise as well. He completed 17-of-25 passes and had zero interceptions. Given their different styles of play, the Vols could keep the Gators off-guard by using both of them throughout the game.

This isn’t something new the Vols have done. They started Brent Schaeffer, a dual-threat, way back in 2004 against the Gators, but Erik Ainge played most of the game and led the game-winning field goal drive for the 30-28 win.

If Tennessee football is going to have any chance at Florida, they’ve got to mix things up, and rotating quarterbacks who have different styles may be the way to do it. Don’t forget Bailey did completed 14-of-21 passes for 111 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions while splitting time with J.T. Shrout last year.

There are other reasons to believe in the Vols. Special teams has been doing really well. Chase McGrath hasn’t missed a field goal or an extra point yet, and last week, Velus Jones Jr. averaged nearly 11 yards a punt return. He also had a kickoff return touchdown that was called back. Paxton Brooks should be back at punter as well.

UT needs to make sure Florida doesn’t run all over them, and they have to minimize penalties, which they struggled with in their loss to the Pittsburgh Panthers. Mental toughness is another one of their main competitors. If that all happens and they mix it up with the QBs, an upset is possible, but everything has to align for Tennessee football to form the perfect storm.