GAINESVILLE, Fla. โ The Gators need a win. Any win. Tennessee needs a win at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
The Southeastern Conference matchup Saturday night between unranked Florida (3-7, 2-5) and No. 20 Tennessee (7-3, 3-3) lacks the hype of the Steve Spurrier-Phil Fulmer showdowns in the 1990s, but anytime these two proud programs butt helmets, it's an event.
If you need proof, ABC is in town to broadcast the game to a national audience. The Gators and Vols draw eyeballs.
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The Gators want to snap a three-game losing streak under interim head coach Billy Gonzales. The Vols want to snap a 10-game losing streak at 'The Swamp.'
As they say, something's gotta give.
"That's the one thing you want to talk about, something that gets you fired up, the opportunity to come play back home in front of the Swamp in a night game," Gonzales said. "Our players will be ready to play."
Sophomore linebacker Aaron Chiles experienced an overtime loss to the Vols a year ago in Knoxville. Florida had a chance to win, but could not put the Vols away.
That is a trend that has carried over this season, and in two of the three games with Gonzales in charge. Florida led Georgia and Ole Miss in the second half but wilted down the stretch.
Can the Gators reverse that trend against Tennessee? They plan to do whatever it takes.
"We're willing to make it personal, it being a rivalry game," Chiles said.
Florida has owned the Vols for the past two decades, even during some lean seasons. The Gators have won 17 of the last 20 meetings. With the way their season has gone, they could use this one.
In our latest edition of The Opening Kickoff, here is a closer look at the Florida-Tennessee game:
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THREE STORYLINES
The Gators return to the friendly confines of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium after losses to Georgia, Kentucky and Ole Miss away from home since the firing of Billy Napier last month. The players should expect a festive atmosphere with the 17th consecutive sellout and the Vols in town for one of Florida's traditional rivalry games.
Tennessee's offense is ranked first in the SEC and second among FBS programs. The Gators check in at 15th in the conference and 106th in the FBS. If those rankings hold on Saturday night, it could be a disappointing evening for the sold-out crowd. The Gators surprised everyone by leading at halftime against Ole Miss. Florida has an opportunity to close the regular season with back-to-back wins against rivals Tennessee and Florida State. That should be ample motivation to come out firing against the Vols.
Florida and Tennessee are meeting this late in the season for the first time since the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001 forced the game to be rescheduled for December. The SEC changed the schedules in 2025, and with a nine-game conference slate set to start in 2026, Saturday night is the last time the schools will face each otherย until 2027 in Knoxville. The Vols won't be back in Gainesville until 2029.
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THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH
Vols quarterback Joey Aguilar is putting up impressive numbers and moving UT's offense. A transfer from Cal, Aguilar has eased the loss of Nico Iamaleava, who unexpectedly transferred to UCLA. He leads the SEC with 2,941 passing yards, and his 22 touchdown passes are tied with Texas A&M's Marcel Reed and Alabama's Ty Simpsonย for the conference lead.ย Aguilar has thrown 10 interceptions, so the UF defense needs to be alert.
Gators quarterbackDJ Lagway discussed the emotional and physical toll of a disappointing season following last week's loss. Lagway made two of his best throws of the year on long balls to TJ Abrams and J. Michael Sturdivant. However, he cooled off in the second half as the Gators managed only 103 yards of total offense after halftime. If Lagway can keep the offense humming for four quarters, the Gators should have a chance at the upset.
UF freshman edge rusher Jayden Woods made the biggest play of his rookie season with an interception and 25-yard return that set up a go-ahead score against Ole Miss. Woods was a favorite of fans and media in preseason camp, but has only 17 tackles through 10 games. With George Gumbs Jr. (see below) done for the season, Woods has an opportunity to stake his claim to more playing time next season with a strong finish.
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FIVE QUESTIONS WITH โฆ TENNESSEE COACH JOSH HEUPEL
In his fifth season in Knoxville, Heupelย is 2-2 against the Gators and seeking his first win at 'The Swamp' ...
Tennessee coach Josh Heupel shakes hands with former Gators coach Billy Napier after the Vols' loss in their last trip to The Swamp in 2023. (Photo: Jay Metz/UAA Communications)
Q: What are your thoughts about facing the Gators?
A: This is a rivalry game, one that's always had great importance,ย the history of it, going back to when we had divisions inside this league and for our fan base, playingย a Florida team that's extremely athletic, talented. Lost a couple of close ball games here, and aย football team that continues to fight and get better. So, a huge test for us.
Q: Have you seen changes in Florida's offense since the coaching change?
A: They're still using a bunch of shifts, in-motion beforehand. There's not a major difference inย what they're doing. They're physical up front, talented out on the outside, quarterback can doย
everything that you want him to do, and the running back's special, so not a major overhaul to whatย they're doing offensively.
Q: How important is it for your program to end the season with back-to-back rivalry wins?
A:ย It really starts with this one. The timing of this game is unique to both programs. Historically, it's beenย played much earlier. But this is one that matters, certainly insideย of our building, in our fan base, and the one the following week does as well with Vanderbilt. That's one of the unique things here: different generations of fans have maybe what they think is the biggest rivalry with a lot of the teams in this league that we've historically played.
Q: What is the challenge of building the type of program you envision in theย current landscape of college football?
A: The landscape certainly has changed. The roster turnover is a greater percentage than it ever has.ย And that's a positive, and there are some drawbacks to it as well. Every school inside the league is ableย to pass a roster and find guys where they may not have somebody that they feel is ready to play.ย Andย as far as the age of your roster, I think the number of years a guy has been on your rosterย has changed with the transfer portal. So, building your culture, the expectations, clearly definingย those and building, ultimately, what you need before you kick off in September, through the courseย of the year, is tougher than that ever has been.
Q: What is the importance of knowing your roster with only one transfer portal window now?
A:ย I think that's what everybody is trying to figure out on their roster and who's going to be back andย what pieces you're going to have to find in the transfer portal, with your high school signing class.
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THREE DIGITS
ย 495 โ Yards per game for Tennessee's offense, which ranks first in the SEC. 366.3 โ Yards per game allowed by Florida's defense, which ranks 14th in the SEC. 1 โ Tennessee natives on Florida's roster:WRTaylor Spiertois from Franklin, Tenn.
The Gators face their seventh opponent of the season ranked in the AP Top 25, which ties the program record for most in a season.
This is the 55th all-time meeting between the Gators and Vols. Florida has won 17 of the last 20 meetings and has a 32-22 record against Tennessee.
Florida has won 10 consecutive games against Tennessee at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, last losing at home to the Vols in 2003.
The Gators have five home wins over teams ranked in the AP Top 25 in the last four seasons as an unranked team: No. 7 Utah (2022), No. 11 Tennessee (2023), No. 21 LSU (2024), No. 9 Ole Miss (2024) and No. 9 Texas (2025).
Gators senior edge rusher George Gumbs Jr., who leads the team with 6.5 tackles-for-loss, underwent knee surgery this week and is out for the season. Gumbs started nine of 10 games and finished with 31 tackles and 2.5 sacks.
Sophomore linebacker Myles Graham is coming off arguably the best game of his career at Ole Miss. Graham had a career-high nine tackles, including two TFLs. He leads UF in tackles (60), stops (32) and quarterback hurries (6).
The Gators have won five consecutive SEC home games, last losing to a conference opponent at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium to Texas A&M in the third game of the 2024 season.
Tennessee is the only team in the Power Four with three players with 600 or more yards receiving, a first for the program since 1997:ย Chris Brazzell (SEC-best 873), Braylon Staley (761) and Mike Matthews (667).
Vols quarterback Joey Aguilar has thrown for 2,941 yards, which ranks 12th on Tennessee's single-season list. He could move into the top five with a 200-yard passing game on Saturday.
Florida interim head coach Billy Gonzales has two more opportunities to earn his first career win as a head coach. The Gators are 0-3 since Gonzales replaced Billy Napier. Of Florida's six previous interim head coaches, only Charlie Strong (0-1) failed to win at least one game.
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FLASHBACK FILE
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The Gators own a 10-game home win streak over the Volunteers, which began in 2005 during former UF head coach Urban Meyer's first season. Meyer will be on hand Saturday night to be recognized for his upcoming induction into the College Football Hall of Fame.
Florida's 16-7 victory over the Vols on Sept. 17, 2005, was only Meyer's third game as UF's coach. Check out a memorable Florida win in the video below:
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THEY SAID IT
"It's hard to imagine that the 'Swamp Curse' will continue for Tennessee, which has lost its last 10 games in Gainesville. Tennessee has lost three games this season โ all to SEC heavyweights (Georgia, Alabama and Oklahoma), while the Gators are losing to everybody. Tennessee has the second-ranked offense in the country, while Florida has the 108th-ranked offense in the country.ย And let's be honest, Florida's players are likely more focused on the transfer portal than they are about playing Tennessee, while UF fans are too busy on their phones refreshing Twitter to see if Lane Kiffin has been hired to care about the result of this game." โ Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi
"There's almost zero reason to pick Florida in this game. The Gators have nothing to play for, and the Volunteers are an explosive offensive team that should simply outscore the Gators even if Florida's offense plays well, which it hasn't for an entire game this season. And yet โฆ I'll believe Tennessee wins in the Swamp as soon as it happens again. The Gators in a big upset." โ Neil Blackmon of Saturday Down South
"I think it's Florida. He's always been a Florida fan. He grew up idolizing Steve Spurrier. I think it comes down to Florida or LSU. It seems like he has already left Ole Miss. You just don't leave them hanging like he has." โ SEC Network host Paul Finebaum on where he expects Kiffin to land during an appearance on ESPN's "Get Up"
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WHY GATORS WILL WIN
They're back home for the first time in a month, and all three of their wins this season have come at 'The Swamp.' And they execute offensively for four quarters instead of only two, as in last week's loss at Ole Miss.
ย WHY TENNESSEE WILL WIN
The Vols have had chances to win in Gainesville the past two decades but have been unable to. If they are ever going to snap their losing streak at 'The Swamp,' this sure seems a ripe opportunity.
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