Vols and Gators Comparison

[RowdyRetile]

We moved the ball up and down the field last year on a UF defense that was fairly healthy at the time and was being compared to Alabama's D at that point in the season.

UT will have a new backfield but the scheme hasn't changed and the Oline is in great shape heading into the year. With the studs you lost there, it may be a tall order to change the narrative.

I cant argue with the fact that UT made UF's defense look worse than any other team last year. I don't think UT will repeat that this season for a few reasons; #1, Dobbs is gone. I know he gets mixed reviews here but Dobbs gave Florida fits. #2, the game is in Gainesville, crowd noise, adrenaline, comfort level, all those intangibles will be in UF's favor. Last year, crowd noise and momentum was huge for UT, best UT crowd Ive seen/heard in years. #3, Florida's offense will be much improved. A great offense could have blunted some of that momentum UT had last year. When UT went on that amazing offensive run, Florida's offense was doing nothing to seize back momentum. Late third and 4th quarter, the UF defense was done.

 

[RowdyRetile]

hopefully del rio is the starting QB this year---he's terrible.

He was terrible when playing with a badly sprained knee, torn labrum in throwing shoulder and torn something in non-throwing shoulder. Before that, he was average to above average. He looked like Rex Grossman against Kentucky, hurt the knee the following week, came back too early on the knee, then hurt both shoulders and had trouble throwing the ball 20 yards after that.

Will be a nice, experienced back-up for UF over the next two seasons, in my opinion.

 

[sjsmith87]

DL & LB depth are major concerns with this team. If the vols have a healthy Shy Tuttle and Kalil Mckenzie, then we will have a rotation of five DTs who have played. Way too thin for SEC football. Outside of D. Kirkland and Cortez Mcdowell, there are just a bunch of unproven guys at LB. I guess you could count Colton Jumper but he is not SEC material IMO. Hope he proves me wrong.

I disgree that we're way too thin at DT. How many DTs do you want available with playing experience.. 10?? Between Vickers, Tuttle, McKenzie, Johnson, Bain, and Picou with Butler, Crosby, and Bennett coming in the summer, thats more than enough depth at tackle. Granted we hope to not HAVE to play the three freshmen, but at least one of them will probably see some snaps during the season. Let's back off the ledge a bit.

I'm more worried about LB, but not that much. I expect to see players like Sapp, Bates, Bituli, Jumper, Smith, and Berry provide solid depth behind Kirkland and McDowell.

 

[Ancient Reptile]

I disgree that we're way too thin at DT. How many DTs do you want available with playing experience.. 10?? Between Vickers, Tuttle, McKenzie, Johnson, Bain, and Picou with Butler, Crosby, and Bennett coming in the summer, thats more than enough depth at tackle. Granted we hope to not HAVE to play the three freshmen, but at least one of them will probably see some snaps during the season. Let's back off the ledge a bit.

I'm more worried about LB, but not that much. I expect to see players like Sapp, Bates, Bituli, Jumper, Smith, and Berry provide solid depth behind Kirkland and McDowell.

Thin at DL and LB sounds like UF more than UT.

 

[Ancient Reptile]

You may be right regarding UF's defense, interior d-line may be the most suspect position, and the LB's have to stay healthy.

I call these guys definite studs on offense; RB's Scarlett and Perine. WR's Callaway, Powell, Cleveland. TE Goolsby. Potential studs; RB Mark Thompson, WR's Dre Massey, Josh Hammond and look out for incoming athlete Kadarius Toney. This guy is reminding people of Percy Harvin on the practice field right now.

There's no doubt in my mind this will be UF's best offense under Mac.

Maybe a UT fan could list UT studs?

 

[Outofmyvolcanmind]

We disagree. No worries. Bottom line is Florida had no business winning the East in either of McElwain's first 2 seasons given the state of their program, whether you wanna call it broken or damaged or whatever....yet they did.

I agree and they wouldn't have if Grier didn't cheat and start.

 

[The Artful Dodger]

If Florida played Alabama in 2015, they finish with a 6-2 conference record and go to the SEC title game.

If Florida played Alabama in 2016, they finish with a 5-3 conference record and go to the SEC title game.

And I hate to go there, but let's not pretend Tennessee has done well against the rest of the SEC West. Tennessee has 1 win against the SEC West since 2009 (1-9 vs. non-Alabama SEC West opponents). the one win was against an Ole Miss team with one conference win in 2010.

So, spare me the Alabama argument.

I'm not hypothesizing if UT and Fla played Bama. I was saying if UT played Fla's perminant cross-division opponent (LSU I guess) and Fla played Bama as their permanent CDO. It would have especially made a difference in 2015.

 

[99gator]

I'm not hypothesizing if UT and Fla played Bama. I was saying if UT played Fla's perminant cross-division opponent (LSU I guess) and Fla played Bama as their permanent CDO. It would have especially made a difference in 2015.

The biggest problem Tennessee had in 2015 is that it lost to Florida.

The Alabama issue was meaningless

 

[The Artful Dodger]

The biggest problem Tennessee had in 2015 is that it lost to Florida.

The Alabama issue was meaningless

Obviously what I am saying is hypothetical, but you are still missing the point. If UT played LSU that year and Florida played Bama, then UT would have had a much better shot at making the title game as it was only a one game difference between the two teams, and that's with UF's win over UT.

 

[The Artful Dodger]

So he has played them every year, no?

In the title game, of course.

If Florida played Bama in the regular season every year then they prob wouldn't have matched up in the SECCG game because of the extra loss UF would have during the season. Which is the situation that UT finds itself in every year.

 

[99gator]

Obviously what I am saying is hypothetical, but you are still missing the point. If UT played LSU that year and Florida played Bama, then UT would have had a much better shot at making the title game as it was only a one game difference between the two teams, and that's with UF's win over UT.

Florida finished 7-1. Tennessee finished 5-3.

In addition, as I mentioned earlier, Tennessee has been absolutely atrocious against the SEC West, excluding Alabama.

1-9 since 2009 against SEC West opponents not named Alabama.

As such, one would say it would be highly probable LSU would have beaten Tennessee in 2015 the same way Arkansas beat Tennessee in 2015.

 

[OHvol40]

I cant argue with the fact that UT made UF's defense look worse than any other team last year. I don't think UT will repeat that this season for a few reasons; #1, Dobbs is gone. I know he gets mixed reviews here but Dobbs gave Florida fits. #2, the game is in Gainesville, crowd noise, adrenaline, comfort level, all those intangibles will be in UF's favor. Last year, crowd noise and momentum was huge for UT, best UT crowd Ive seen/heard in years. #3, Florida's offense will be much improved. A great offense could have blunted some of that momentum UT had last year. When UT went on that amazing offensive run, Florida's offense was doing nothing to seize back momentum. Late third and 4th quarter, the UF defense was done.

The score could have been much worse for UF last year (I know... coulda, shoulda, woulda), we moved the ball a ton in the first half and scored nothing.

The matchup this year will likely come down to who finds the most compitent QB play early in the season. We like our guys, you like your guys, but nobody is a proven commodity which makes it fun.

 

[RowdyRetile]

The score could have been much worse for UF last year (I know... coulda, shoulda, woulda), we moved the ball a ton in the first half and scored nothing.

The matchup this year will likely come down to who finds the most compitent QB play early in the season. We like our guys, you like your guys, but nobody is a proven commodity which makes it fun.

Yep, well put. Spring games may shed some good light on the QBs for both teams. Florida opens with Michigan and UT opens with Ga Tech (right?), so whoever the starters end up being had better be ready FAST.