Staff photo by C.B. Schmelter / Tennessee linebacker Daniel Bituli reaches to knock down a pass by UTC quarterback Nick Tiano during last Saturday’s game at Neyland Stadium.KNOXVILLE – Tennessee football players have used the word “fast” multiple times this week when referring to the Florida Gators.
That team speed is one of the challenges the Volunteers will face on defense Saturday in Gainesville.
The ninth-ranked Gators (3-0) returned quarterback Feleipe Franks, running back Lamical Perine and a number of talented receivers from last season’s 10-win team. The loss of Franks to what turned out to be a season-ending ankle injury in their Southeastern Conference opener at Kentucky last Saturday night didn’t slow things down.
Redshirt junior Kyle Trask took over behind center and led three touchdown drives, including the quarterback running 4 yards for the go-ahead score in the fourth quarter of the Gators’ 29-21 victory.
Florida coach Dan Mullen stated Monday it’s likely the Gators will go with two quarterbacks for Saturday’s noon game against Tennessee (1-2), which will be televised by ESPN, with Trask potentially splitting reps with redshirt freshman Emory Jones to utilize different skill sets. Trask is considered more of a passer while Jones is seen as a dual threat.