two best teams in the East.

The Vols had last Saturday off, so they have had plenty of time to prepare for the Gators and the new offensive and defensive schemes under Coach Meyer. Perhaps one of the reasons the Vols looked less than impressive against UAB was that they spent too much time the past year focusing on the new head coach Meyer and his Gators.

Coach Meyer says he has adapted his offense to the skill of his players. No doubt he still has many plays in his bag of tricks that he didn’t have to use in defeating Wyoming and Louisiana Tech. Perhaps the most impressive stat thus far has been the Gators stinginess. They are almost +9 minutes on average in time of possession. The running game sputtered in game one, but was quite impressive in game two. The defense, as most expected, has played well in both games.

These two teams are similar in talent. The Vols have the advantage in maturity and experience. Most importantly, they are well versed in Fulmer’s offense and defense. The Gators are still learning Meyer’s system and are not as efficient at running it now as they will be in coming games. From a stability and experience standpoint, the Vols have to be the favorite.

One of the important keys to this game will be Fulmer and his staff’s ability to make game time adjustments. Meyer will be throwing things at the Vols that the Vol coaches haven’t seen on film. In similar past situations, Fulmer has been able to make the necessary adjustments.

The Vols and the Gators enter the game with the same focus, which is to control clock.

The Vols will try to do it primarily with the ground game. Thus far, the Gators have allowed just 117 yards rushing. That’s very good, but neither of the first two opponents had ground games nearly as good as the Vols ground game. If the Gators can stymie the run, they will then have to contain an excellent Vol passing game, which has two experienced Qbs and some outstanding receivers. Because of the experience edge and the stability, the Vol offense should have the edge against the Gator defense.

Florida will try to control the clock with both the run and pass. Not only do the Gators have very good skill players and an adequate offensive line, they have the element of surprise and lack of familiarity on their side. The battle between the Gator offense and Vol defense is what makes predicting this game very difficult. The Vol defense is loaded with excellent players at every position and there is good depth with experience. Coaching will decide which unit comes out on top.

Special teams are about equal. Both teams are at least average.

The Swamp hasn’t been a quagmire for the Vols the past two times they have ventured there. So, there won’t be much, if any, advantage for the Gators in this game.

It seems to me the winner of this game will hinge on coaching. Fulmer has been successful for years in the SEC. Meyer is getting his first taste of heated SEC action. It’s more likely Meyer will choke than Fulmer in what is likely to be a very close game. Vols win 28-24.