Tennessee defensive back Marquill Osborne (3) and teammate Theo Jackson celebrate after Osborne scored on a blocked punt during the Vols' home win against ETSU on Sept. 8.TENNESSEE (2-1, 0-0 SEC) VS. FLORIDA (2-1, 0-1)
7 p.m. at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville
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THE MATCHUP
This game does not have the national implications it once carried, but it's as important to each team's 2018 season as it was during any of the years when these division rivals were ranked in the top 10 nationally and duking it out with Tennessee's Phillip Fulmer and Florida's Steve Spurrier coaching on the sidelines. Meeting this year are a pair of first-year coaches who desperately need a Southeastern Conference win at the front end of a brutally difficult league slate. For Florida coach Dan Mullen, the pressure may be even higher considering the Gators' winning streak against Kentucky ended at 31 games two weeks ago in Gainesville. For the Volunteers' Jeremy Pruitt, this may be his only chance to pick up a conference victory before November. For that reason, a win tonight is critical to Tennessee's bowl eligibility.
ONE TO WATCH
This is shaping up as a game that could be decided by a big play on special teams. Florida junior receiver Freddie Swain returned a punt 85 yards for a touchdown last week against Colorado State, and his other return in the game covered 22 yards. "It's not a surprise to me," Pruitt said. "Going against Coach Mullen's teams, they've always been really well-coached in the special teams. You can tell it's an emphasis." Florida has scored two touchdowns and a two-point conversion via blocked punts or kicks this season. Tennessee's Marquill Osborne blocked a punt and returned it for a touchdown against East Tennessee State, and the Vols also partially blocked a punt against West Virginia, but they have not demonstrated the same potency in the return game as Florida. Tennessee punt returner Marquez Callaway again has struggled with cleanly catching punts.
IN THE END
Each of these teams has flunked an early test against a Power Five conference opponent and won two games against overmatched foes. Last week, Florida looked better in a 48-10 rout of Colorado State - which beat SEC program Arkansas the week before - than Tennessee did while appearing undisciplined in a 24-0 victory over the University of Texas at El Paso, one of the worst teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision. The betting line favors Florida by less than a touchdown, and it's certainly reasonable to believe the Vols will keep this game close in front of more than 100,000 fans. However, the Gators have shown more to this point in the season than Tennessee. Though it's a new era at both schools, Florida's historical success in the series should not be discounted.
PREDICTION
Florida 23, Tennessee 17