KNOXVILLE – It should have been a legacy-cementing performance.
Instead it was overshadowed and erased by the fourth-quarter defensive collapse and questionable coaching decisions that turned a memorable win into an infamous loss.
The list of Tennessee quarterbacks to win a game at Florida isn’t long, and Josh Dobbs nearly joined the exclusive club last season when he ran for 136 yards, caught a 58-yard touchdown pass and guided the Volunteers to a two-score lead with only 10 minutes left in the game.
Joshua Dobbs (11) runs for a touchdown past Ohio’s Cody Grillot (40). The Ohio University Bobcats visited the University of Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium in a non-conference NCAA football game on Saturday September 17, 2016. Dobbs instead joined seven other starting quarterbacks the Vols have used during their 11-year losing streak to the Gators, but Saturday presents the senior his second and final shot at beating Florida.
“It’s really what you train for,” Dobb said Tuesday. “It’s the mindset you put in in the summer and in the winter when you’re tired and you don’t want to do an extra rep, you don’t want to go to an extra workout, you don’t want to do something, but you do it because you know that’s going to set you apart when the season comes around.
“It’s the habits that you train throughout the offseason that get you to where you are in the season, so when you’re on the big stage you’re not worried if you’re going to play well, but you expect yourself to play well, because you’re going to fall back on those habits that you’ve created throughout your training.
“I train at a high level and hold myself to high expectations, and I expect myself to go out each time I step on the field and play at a high level.”
In Gainesville last September Dobbs was Tennessee’s leading passer, rusher and receiver, and his 136 yards were part of a 254-rushing yard performance that should have been enough to win the game.
It will take a similar performance from Dobbs – his supporting cast, particularly the offensive line, will need to step up, too – for 15th-ranked Tennessee to take down 19th-ranked Florida, which is led by a stingy defense.
The Gators, who allowed just 14 points in their first three games, lead the country in total defense by an absurd 75 yards per game and also top the national rankings with 16 sacks.
Despite losing five defenders to the NFL draft, Florida features a front seven capable of overwhelming any offense and boasts a secondary that thrives on playing press coverage on every snap.
“The numbers, they speak for themselves, but they’re physical up front and they play a lot of man in the back end,” Dobbs said. “They run to the ball very well. From our end, we’ll definitely have to bring our style of play and be 11-for-11 and execute throughout the game.
“Throughout their secondary they’re a physical bunch. They play a lot of man coverage in the back end, and they enjoy their one-on-one matchups. Across the board we have to come in, be locked in and be ready to win our one-on-one matchups.”
Florida’s first three opponents ranked 65th, 89th and 118th in total offense in 2015, but aside from stretches against Virginia Tech and Ohio, Tennessee’s offense hasn’t exactly inspired confidence with its performances through three games.
The Vols’ leaky offensive line should have the Gators licking their chops.
“We’re confident going into every game,” Florida cornerback Jalen Tabor told reporters after the Gators beat North Texas last week. “Tonight, last week, the week before that – defensively it doesn’t matter who we play, we’re confident. It’s a standard. We don’t really see the opponent. We’re trying to hold them to zero yards.
“They’ve got some pretty good players. I feel like they haven’t really played anybody of our caliber yet, so they’ve probably just been kind of slacking around most likely. They’ve got some pretty good players that could turn up at any time.”
Dobbs is one of those players, and he’s delivered big-time performances in big games in the past, most notably against Georgia last season in the same smokey gray jerseys Tennessee will don Saturday.
“Knowing that your quarterback, especially on third down and things like that, he can make something happen is always something that is really reassuring,” Vols defensive tackle Kahlil McKenzie said. “Knowing that you have a quarterback who can always make plays or make something out of nothing – you’ve got complete trust in him.
“I think that’s really the best part about it, knowing that no matter what the situation you’ve got a quarterback who can get it done.”
Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.