Here’s how Tennessee can upset Florida

Jeremy Pruitt is looking for the first big win of his Tennessee tenure against Florida today. The Vols need to do these three things to spring the upset.

In years past, Florida traveling to Tennessee would easily be one of college football’s premier matchups of the weekend. That isn’t necessarily the case today. It’s still a huge game for both the Gators and Volunteers.

Both teams enter today with coaches trying to really turn their respective programs around. Dan Mullen left Mississippi State to take over a program with better resources in Florida. Losing at Kentucky wasn’t in his plans. Mullen will want to blast the Volunteers so his program can make a statement.

Jeremy Pruitt is in a much different situation. He knew he was entering a rebuild when he took the Tennessee job. Today is a chance for him to show the nation he’s ahead of schedule. If his Volunteers team is going to win this game, they’re going to need a lot of things to go right. This piece will examine three things they have to do if they want to win. We start with Tennessee’s need to make sure special teams aren’t a factor.

3. Tennessee can’t let Florida’s special teams excel

It’s easy to spend a lot of time thinking about each team’s offense and defense, but you can’t ignore special teams in this matchup. The Gators scored two special teams touchdowns last week in their romp over Colorado State. Even more concerning for the Vols, is the fact that Florida has already blocked three punts this season.

Pruitt doesn’t need his team to win the special teams battle. He simply needs his squad to make sure Florida doesn’t turn the game without making a big play on offense or defense. It’d be nice if the Volunteers could spring a big play of their own, but that’s not a necessity. Making sure Florida doesn’t score a cheap touchdown on special teams is a huge priority for Tennessee.