Tennessee football: Florida matchup has eerily similar vibes to 2002
It’s natural for Tennessee football fans to only think the worst when the Vols face the Florida Gators. There’s too much history over the past 17 years. However, when the two get set to face off Saturday, the vibes will be more similar to before Florida took complete control in the series.
Wednesday, Sept. 21 marks the 20-year anniversary of one of the Vols’ worst losses to Florida. In 2002, UT entered the matchup with the Gators undefeated and looking like the better team. They had beaten Florida on the road 34-32 the year before, and Florida already had a loss.
Moreover, this was Florida’s first team since 1989 without Steve Spurrier, who seemed to be responsible for most of the torture the Gators gave the Vols at that time. UT was also the favorite to win the SEC and in the top five of both polls. Simply put, everything suggested the Vols should win this game.
Well, as the skies opened in the first half and poured a monsoon onto the field, it became apparent that the Vols had never practiced in the rain. Casey Clausen fumbled four snaps. He and Troy Fleming each lost one fumble, and these issues killed another drive, spotting Florida 17 points.
Rex Grossman also went off, and the Vols saw their season come undone in one half, as they fell behind 24-0. They tried to fight back in the second half but didn’t do much and ended up losing 30-13. That was the undoing of a season with so much promise, as UT stumbled to 8-5.
However, what stands out about that game is how similar it is to this week’s game when it comes to the lead-up. Being in Knoxville, College GameDay coming to town and CBS picking the game for its 3:30 p.m. ET slot are just part of that. Those are commonplace for this series.
More compelling is that just like 2002, Florida enters this matchup with a first-year head coach, they are the underdogs for the first time in six years, and they have a loss and are the lower ranked team while the Vols are undefeated. Everything is the same.
The new head coach for Florida in 2002 was Ron Zook, who had the impossible task of following a legend. Obviously, Billy Napier is the new head coach now. However, both had been coaching in Louisiana the year before, ironically. Napier was the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns head coach. Zook was the New Orleans Saints’ defensive coordinator.
Just like 2002, the Vols are favored in this matchup. What’s ironic is that both times mark the first time in six years they were favored. This time, though, the line is much higher, as the Vols are double-digit favorites probably for the first time since they started playing annually in 1990.
Both of these games were also the first time in six years that the Vols entered as the higher-ranked team. UT was No. 4 in both polls while Florida was No. 10 in 2002. This time, UT is No. 11 in the AP Poll and No. 12 in he Coaches Poll, while Florida is No. 20 in the AP Poll and No. 22 in the Coaches Poll.
Finally, Florida enters this game 2-1 while Tennessee football enters 3-0. In 2002, Florida was 2-1, and the Vols were 2-0. Florida got blown out at home in 2002 by the defending national champion Miami Hurricanes and then looked ugly the next week against the Ohio Bobcats.
This Florida team obviously lost at home to the Kentucky Wildcats. Both the 2002 team and this team’s first loss was their second game. Just like 2002, Florida looked ugly the next week against a Group of Five team, this time the South Florida Bulls, and generated tons of questions.
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Every season stands on its own, so this doesn’t mean that Tennessee football will lose to Florida on Saturday. However, Vol fans can’t take being the favorite for granted, and they know that better than anybody. What happened in 2002 will prove that.