KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — No. 23 Tennessee opens SEC play against conference rival No. 24/25 Florida on Saturday with a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff on CBS at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
Brad Nessler (play-by-play) and Gary Danielson (analyst) will be in the booth and Allie LaForce will report from the sidelines. Vol Network radio affiliates will have a live audio broadcast with Bob Kesling, Tim Priest and Brent Hubbs. Sirius Channel 138 and XM Channel 191 will also carry a live audio broadcast.
Hurricane Irma has affected some road conditions in Florida. Fans planning to attend the game in Gainesville should plan ahead and stay up to date with news from the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and Florida Highway Patrol (FHP).
Tennessee is coming off a 42-7 win over Indiana State on Sept. 9. Junior quarterback Quinten Dormady completed 13 of 18 passes for 194 yards, two scores and one interceptions. Junior running back John Kelly rushed 18 times for 87 yards and sophomore Carlin Fils-aime had three carries for 41 yards and two scores. Freshman Ty Chandler returned the opening kickoff 91 yards for a score and earned SEC Freshman of the Week honors
The Gators canceled their Week 2 matchup against Northern Colorado due to Hurricane Irma. Florida fell to Michigan, 33-17, in its season opener on Sept. 2.
The Vols are ranked No. 23 in the Week 3 Amway Coaches Poll and AP Top 25. Florida is No. 24 in the Amway Coaches Poll and No. 25 in the AP Top 25.
Tennessee-Florida Rivalry
Florida leads the all-time series 26-20 and the Gators hold a 13-5 edge in the series when the game is played in Gainesville. In 2016, Tennessee snapped an 11-game losing streak to Florida with 38 unanswered points to take a 38-28 win at Neyland Stadium.
Tennessee is looking for its first back-to-back wins against Florida and back-to-back 3-0 starts to a season since 2003-04.
For the second-consecutive season, both programs enter the matchup ranked in the top 25. This marks only the third occasion since 2007 that this has happened.
A win in Gainesville would be UT’s first on Florida’s home field since 2003, when Jabari Davis earned SEC Offensive Player of the Week honors after rushing for a pair of touchdowns to lead Tennessee to a 24-10 win in the Swamp.
Saturday’s game marks the 20th time over the last 22 meetings that the Tennessee-Florida game will air on CBS.
Kelly’s Strong Start
Tennessee junior running back John Kelly is the only player in the SEC who leads his team in rushing (208 yards) and receptions (10). The Detroit native is averaging 151.5 yards from scrimmage through two games.
Kelly is also tied for second in the league in scoring with 24 points (four rushing touchdowns).
Games With A Rushing TD: 30-Straight
With a pair of rushing touchdowns from sophomore running back Carlin Fils-aime in last Saturday’s win over Indiana State, the Vols extended their school record streak of games with a rushing touchdown to 30.
The streak began Nov. 24, 2014, in a 24-17 win at Vanderbilt. Quarterback and VFL Joshua Dobbs rushed for two scores that day.
Tennessee had 24 consecutive games with a rushing touchdown from the 1937-1939 seasons, a school record that had previously stood alone for 77 years.
Super Special Teams
True freshman running back Ty Chandler returned the opening kickoff vs. Indiana State 91 yards for a touchdown to put the Vols up 7-0 just 14 seconds into the game.
Chandler became the first Vol to return an opening kick for a touchdown since Oct. 3, 2015, when Evan Berry did so vs. Arkansas. He is the first Tennessee true freshman to accomplish the feat since Leonard Scott returned one for 100 yards against Georgia in 1999.
Chandler’s score marked the 11th kick or punt return touchdown of the Butch Jonesera (since 2013). The Vols had a one kick return score and one punt return score in 2016, three kick return TDs and three punt return TDs in 2015, one punt return TD in 2014 and one punt return score in 2013.
Redshirt senior punter Trevor Daniel ranks 10th in the nation with a 47.3-yard average. Daniel has punted 10 times this season with, pinning eight inside UT opponents’ own 20-yard line. Five of his punts have resulted in fair catches and four were for 50 or more yards.
-UT Athletics
