The last time Tennessee beat Florida, Will Muschamp and Derek Dooley were co-workers at LSU. Muschamp served as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. Dooley was the special teams coordinator and coached the running backs. It was 2004.
The Volunteers would go on to win the Southeastern Conference East Division that year, marking the 11th time in 13 seasons that either UT or UF played in the SEC Championship Game.
However, once each man left the SEC to join Nick Saban’s staff with the Miami Dolphins in 2005, the Gators-Volunteers rivalry became one-sided.
Spearheaded by Urban Meyer’s arrival at Florida, the Gators won seven straight games by an average margin of more than two touchdowns, while Tennessee’s program fell by the wayside.
From 2005-11, the Volunteers went 48-41. During that seven-year span, Tennessee missed the postseason three times and finished under .500 four times. This season will mark the first time since 2007 that both UF and UT are ranked when playing each other.
“We’ve had a four-year stretch where we haven’t really performed to Tennessee standards,” Dooley said. “For the first time, we’re at least getting talked about. But that excitement isn’t going to stay if we don’t play well, and that’s what matters the most.”
The Volunteers’ seven straight losses against the Gators mark their longest losing streak in the series, which began in 1916 but did not become an annual affair until 1990. However, Tennessee has perhaps its best chance at upending Florida for the first time since 2004. Led by quarterback Tyler Bray, the Volunteers boast the top-ranked passing offense in the SEC this season.
Against UF last season, Bray completed 26 passes in 48 attempts for 288 yards and three touchdowns. He was also intercepted twice.
“You let him sit back, he’ll pick you apart,” redshirt senior nose tackle Omar Hunter said. “If you don’t get pressure on this guy, he can really pick a team apart.”
Aiding Bray in his aerial attack will be wide receiver Justin Hunter, who suffered a season-ending ACL tear in his left knee on Tennessee’s fourth offensive play in last year’s 33-23 loss to Florida.
The injury appears to have had little lingering effect on Hunter this season. Heading into Week 3, he leads the SEC with 17 catches and ranks second with 219 receiving yards.
For all their passing prowess, however, the Volunteers’ rushing effort proved most costly the last time they faced Florida.
This season, the Volunteers rank third in the SEC with 187.5 rushing yards per game. Rajion Neal, Tennesee’s primary back, is tasked with turning around a rushing attack that ranked last in the SEC during the 2011 season with just 90.1 yards per game.
“It’s hard to win a game, especially in this league, when you’re minus-9 rushing the ball — that’s for sure,” Dooley said. “We’ve got to do a good job of mixing it up, but we’ve got to throw and catch pretty good, too. At the end of the day, we’ve got to score points.”
Contact Joe Morgan at joemorgan@alligator.org.
Tennessee quarterback Tyler Bray attempts a pass as Dominique Easley applies pressure during Florida's game against the Volunteers Sept. 17, 2011. The Gators travel to Knoxville to face the top-ranked passing offense in the SEC on Saturday.
