Tennessee vs. Florida: Will a Win at Florida Make Tyler Bray a UT Legend?

It may seem a bit absurd to place the "legend" label on a sophomore heading into just his eighth start. But when that eighth start could end up a win at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium for the Tennessee Volunteers, using that "legend" label is suddenly not as ridiculous. 

That's exactly what could happen if Vols quarterback Tyler Bray breaks Tennessee's six-game losing streak to the Gators by becoming just the second Vols quarterback to defeat Florida in The Swamp in the last 40 years.

In 12 tries since 1971, the only Tennessee quarterback to defeat the Gators in The Swamp is Casey Clausen, who did it twice in '01 and '03. While Clausen is also near the top of most Tennessee passing records, a legend he is not.

Why will Bray be any different if he defeats Florida in his first try? Consider his 2,547 yards passing, 25 touchdowns and 61 percent completion percentage in 11 games with the Vols as proof that Bray is already on a different path than the last Tennessee quarterback to win in The Swamp.    

Shortly before halftime of the opening game against Montana, television play-by-play man Randy Smith informed the audience that Tyler Bray had just tied Peyton Manning for the most consecutive games with multiple touchdowns at seven in a row.

Bray and Manning were once again linked when the sophomore broke the Tennessee legend's record the very next week.

One place that Bray can further distinguish himself from the greatest quarterback in Tennessee history is on the field Saturday. 

Despite three of his teams being ranked in the Top 10 at the time of the annual showdown with Florida, Peyton Manning never defeated the Florida Gators. It is a distinction that supposedly kept Manning from winning the Heisman.

Bray watched from the sidelines last year as then-starter Matt Simms led a much less talented Vols team to within a touchdown of the Gators in the fourth quarter. The true freshman also watched as the Gators extended their winning streak over the Vols to six in a row just minutes later.

On Saturday, Tyler Bray will not be merely watching events unfold. The sophomore will be on the field trying to lead his team to a win at a place that has not been very kind to past Tennessee teams. 

That's the stuff that legends are made of.