Wiedmer: Vols just might have what it takes to shock Gators

Staff photo by C.B. Schmelter / Tennessee defensive back Romello Edwards (7) and his teammates celebrate after the Vols beat UTC 45-0 on Saturday in Knoxville.
Staff photo by C.B. Schmelter / Tennessee defensive back Romello Edwards (7) and his teammates celebrate after the Vols beat UTC 45-0 on Saturday in Knoxville.

The closet football genius Ferris Bueller once said, "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."

Maybe he was talking about the story angles for this week's Tennessee-Florida game and maybe he wasn't, but the lineups we expected to see prior to this past weekend and those that will present themselves in "The Swamp" at noon on Saturday are going to be a wee bit different.

The most dramatic of those changes will be the Gators quarterback, of course. Florida's Feleipe Franks - who has terrorized the Volunteers the last two seasons - is gone for the rest of the year following a dislocated ankle suffered against Kentucky.

His replacement in the final quarter of that UK game - veteran reserve Kyle Trask - did lead the Gators on a 19-0 run to that come-from-behind win, and as UT coach Jeremy Pruitt noted Monday, "(Trask) is plenty capable. He's a big, strong guy that's got a good arm, and he's physical in the run game."

Whether Trask can duplicate such a spark against the Vols is unknown, however. But the other great storyline in this underrated contest - really, did you ever think you'd see UT-Florida slated for a noon telecast? - is the defense that Tennessee almost assuredly will put on the field for the first time all season.

This isn't just about linebacker Daniel Bituli returning to quarterback the defense. There were plenty of examples of the potential benefit of that in Saturday's 45-0 shutout of overmatched UTC. Yes, it would be folly to compare that shutout win to earlier losses to Georgia State (38-30) and Brigham Young (29-26 in double overtime), but the fact remains that with Bituli on the field, the Vols pitched a shutout. Without him, they gave up 67 points in two games.

It's who likely will be joining Bituli on the field in Gainesville that should really improve the Vols' defense. While Freshman All-American Bryce Thompson has yet to dress for a game thanks to assault charges against him following an argument with his girlfriend the weekend before the season began, he has been practicing with the team and most believe he'll play against the Gators.

"I've not decided that," Pruitt replied when asked about Thompson's availability against Florida, and the player does still have a preliminary hearing scheduled for Sept. 23, two days after the Florida game.

Assuming Pruitt does decide to play him, Tennessee's defense should begin to resemble a far stingier bunch than the unit that struggled through its first two games before surrendering only 227 total yards and no points against UTC.

It's not that UT-Florida is the only fascinating storyline this weekend in the SEC. No. 7 Notre Dame visits No. 3 Georgia in a game that won't do anything to decide the SEC but might dramatically alter the College Football Playoff field.

Georgia might lose that one and still get in as the SEC champion if it could run the table from that point forward. But should the Irish lose by multiple touchdowns - and particularly if the fall by 21 or more points - their playoff dreams are done.

photo Mark Wiedmer

A similar scenario is on the table in the Auburn-Texas A&M SEC West showdown. With neither team having yet faced No. 2 Alabama, a loss would seem to all but eliminate the No. 8 Tigers or No. 17 Aggies. Just a hunch, but Auburn loses this one in College Station.

As for the rest of the league, Kentucky's once-promising season could now be on the ropes if it loses at Mississippi State, and in the battle for Columbia Campus bragging rights, South Carolina at Missouri should do much to frame each team's potential.

As for No. 4 LSU at Vanderbilt, well, the Commodores probably just hope their only loss is on the scoreboard rather than in the injury department.

As the quarterback injuries to Florida's Franks, Kentucky's Terry Wilson and South Carolina's Jake Bentley show, every team's prospects are somewhat fragile. Almost everyone is one injury away - especially if that injury involves a quarterback - from mediocrity or worse.

So far, Tennessee quarterback Jarrett Guarantano has remained mostly upright and healthy. It doesn't mean the Vols will knock off the Gators in the Swamp, but it does mean they should have a chance.

If nothing else, the Vols Nation should get a much better feel for what this team is today and what it can become.

"To me, it's fun going on the road," Pruitt said during his Monday news conference. "You find out who you are. Everybody is against you. You see a little bit about your character. It'll be good for us."

And if the Vols somehow win, it just might be good enough to put them back on a path to reach a bowl game. Assuming Thompson plays, Vols win 27-24.

Contact Mark Wiedmer at mwiedmer@timesfreepress.com.

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