Florida-UT: Vols Drop SEC Opener to Gators

Gainesville, FL. - The Tennessee Vols came into their SEC opener looking to pull an upset over fifth-ranked Florida.

They weren't successful.

The key conference matchup had several interesting questions surrounding it.

Could Coach Urban Meyer improve to 8-0 over Florida's big rivals (UT, FSU, UGA)?

Could sophomore Gators QB Tim Tebow continue to perform well as a starter?

How would Tennessee's defense handle Meyer's spread offense?

Could the Vols improve upon last year's dismal rushing performance (-11 yards)?

Any question you wanted to ask was answered Saturday afternoon.

Florida looked fantastic, and seems primed for a run at another SEC title—and possibly another national title too.

Tennessee, on the other hand, didn't impress many viewers—least of all me.

I had no doubt going in that senior UT QB Erik Ainge would find his open receivers throughout the day.  To his credit, Ainge did have decent success—26-41 for 249 yards, a TD, and an INT.

On the ground, though, Tennessee was pathetic, totaling a scant 37 total yards.

Tennessee also faced big questions about their punt and kick coverage teams going in—and Brandon James took Dustin Colquitt's first punt of the game 83 yards for the Florida score.

Tennessee answered with a 27-yard Daniel Lincoln field goal on the next drive, but Tebow and the Gators came right back with a 65-yard scoring drive—culminating in a 30-yard strike to Riley Cooper—to push their lead to 14-3.

The Vols stalled in the red zone again after that, and a 22-yard Lincoln field goal was met by another easy Gator touchdown drive, this one capped by a seven-yard Tebow run.

By the time the Gators had forced the Vols to punt and Tebow had found Cornelious Ingram from 20 yards out to make the score 28-6, Ainge had only 1:30 to cut into Florida's lead before halftime.

He ended up connecting with Chris Brown on a 15-yard touchdown pass, UT's lone offensive TD of the game.

At the half, the score was 28-13.

Tebow's only blemish of the year came with 8:47 remaining in the third quarter, when miscommunication with Cooper led to an Eric Berry interception, which he returned for a 96-yard score.

With the gap narrowed to 28-20, UT seemed to have momentum on its side.

Unfortunately, it wouldn't last.

A fumbled handoff between Ainge and Adrian Foster was returned 18 yards for a touchdown by Dustin Doe, and the Gators added four scores in the fourth quarter—a Percy Harvin 19-yard TD run, a Tebow five-yard TD run, a Joey Ijjas 25-yard field goal, and a Cameron Newton four-yard TD run—to make the final 59-20.

If there was a single Achilles heel for the Vols, if was the special teams coverage units, which gave the Gators enviable field position all game long. The average Florida drive started from their own 40-yard line—and that's including one drive that started inside their own two.

There's no way any team in the country can expect to stay in a ball game with the Florida Gators while giving up that kind of field position—much less giving up punt returns for touchdowns.

This isn't the first time special teams play has come back to bite the Vols this year.  Remember DeSean Jackson of Cal?  

Of course you do—there's no forgetting his remarkable punt return in the opener against UT.

Here's the deal: If the Vols can't improve their special teams play, don't expect many games that aren't close in fourth quarter.

Sure, the defense isn't exactly an All-American unit, but how do you expect them to stop anyone if opponents are starting around midfield?

What's more, the short fields and big returns put the UT offense in a hole, forcing Cutcliffe to call a different game than the Vols would like.  It's very difficult to have a balanced attack when you're constantly playing from behind.

On the bright side, if the shabby coverage continues, look for Erik Ainge to make a serious run at the Davey O'Brien Award as the nation's best QB.

Why?

If the Vols are constantly playing from behind and constantly facing 80 yards of field, Ainge's numbers could get gawdy—not Timmy Chang or Colt Brennan gawdy, but still quite impressive against SEC opponents...

Okay, so that might be a pretty big stretch—but follow along folks, I'm trying to make a point:

The Vols could be in serious trouble.

They're not Notre Dame, but things don't look good.

Saturday's loss brings the Vols' record to 1-2 (0-1 in the SEC).  Arkansas State comes to Knoxville next week, with Georgia on the slate two weeks after that.

Mark October 6th on your calendars, SEC fans.  When Georgia comes to Knoxville, each team will be desperate for a win.

That one could be a classic.