Vols ready for first road test in the Swamp

Staff photo by C.B. Schmelter / Tennessee linebacker Daniel Bituli is among the Vols who have experience playing against the Florida Gators in Gainesville.
Staff photo by C.B. Schmelter / Tennessee linebacker Daniel Bituli is among the Vols who have experience playing against the Florida Gators in Gainesville.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Neither Tennessee football coach Jeremy Pruitt nor his players expressed concern this week about the Volunteers' recent history in their series with Florida, which has won 13 of the past 14 meetings.

The Vols focused on the next meeting, which comes Saturday at noon at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium and will be the Southeastern Conference opener for Tennessee (1-2). The ninth-ranked Gators (3-0) opened their league schedule last Saturday at Kentucky by rallying for 19 points in the fourth quarter of a 29-21 win.

"The past has no bearing on what's going to happen in the future," Pruitt said earlier this week. "We've got 60 minutes on Saturday to kind of write the chapter of that book there, and it'll be the people that are on the plane and on the bus and on the field that will have an effect on the outcome of the game. Nothing in the past will dictate the game."

The Vols haven't won in Gainesville since 2003, but Tennessee wide receiver Jauan Jennings, now a fifth-year senior, provided a highlight to his freshman season by throwing a touchdown pass to quarterback Josh Dobbs in the 2015 game there. Florida scored the final 14 points to win 28-27, with the Vols' Aaron Medley missing wide right on a 55-yard field-goal attempt at the end.

Jennings had three catches for 111 yards and a touchdown as Tennessee bounced back to beat Florida 38-28 in Knoxville the following season, but he missed most of the 2017 season due to injury. So while neither he nor current starting quarterback Jarrett Guarantano, a redshirt junior, played against the Gators two years ago, both of them are well aware of what lies ahead in the stadium known as the Swamp.

"It's going to be crazy," Jennings said earlier this week. "The level it's going to be is crazy. We're going to have lots of energy. We've been having lots of energy since that last game I told you all we were going to come out with energy. This whole team's ready. We're fired up. Like I said, it's a road game, going into the Swamp - Florida.

"How else can you put it? It's an SEC game. We're going to go out there and give our all and that's all that matters."

Tennessee controlled the 2017 meeting, rushing for 183 yards and outgaining Florida 442-380 in total yards. The Vols lost, though, after a blown coverage led to a 63-yard Hail Mary from Feleipe Franks to Tyrie Cleveland on the last play as the Gators won 26-20.

Florida beat the Vols 47-21 last season in Knoxville during Pruitt's first year as coach.

For many players on a relatively young Tennessee roster, this will be their first experience in Gainesville. Guarantano said a lot of the Vols' work this week was going to be on communication, and he and his teammates who are new to the Swamp will have to lean on the knowledge of those who have played in a hostile environment.

Senior linebacker Daniel Bituli, who had five tackles against the Gators in 2017, said "just staying calm and just using your attributes to go out there and make some plays" will be important.

"With me being in there, I'll be able to handle setting the front and making all these adjustments," he said. "So just playing within yourself and just focusing on that. We obviously go into the games really prepared with Coach Pruitt and his coaching staff doing a great job. We've just got to trust ourselves and know that we can make those plays."

Adding a level of excitement for Tennessee - especially its younger players - is that this is the team's first road test of the season after back-to-back losses to Georgia State and BYU and a shutout last week of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in Neyland Stadium.

For those who have played in road games, the excitement comes from this being the next opportunity and a contest that will count in the SEC standings. Pruitt noted earlier this week that a team "finds out who they are" on the road, and these Vols are ready to start figuring that out.

"Definitely. I'm definitely excited," Jennings said. "It's been a minute since I've been in the Swamp. To go back brings a whole lot of memories back, and I just can't wait to compete."

Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3 or at Facebook.com/VolsUpdate.

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