Gators say their defense has a chip on its shoulder ahead of game against Tennessee
The Florida Gators say their defense has a chip on its shoulder ahead of Saturday night's showdown with the Tennessee Vols in Gainesville. Gators linebacker Scooby Williams met with reporters on Wednesday and he said that Florida legend Brandon Spikes, a linebacker from the Urban Meyer era who is currently a student assistant with UF […]
The Florida Gators say their defense has a chip on its shoulder ahead of Saturday night's showdown with the Tennessee Vols in Gainesville.
Gators linebacker Scooby Williams met with reporters on Wednesday and he said that Florida legend Brandon Spikes, a linebacker from the Urban Meyer era who is currently a student assistant with UF (as he works to finish his degree), has been getting players fired up this week for the game against the Vols.
"Y’all know B. Spikes is back, right? Every day in practice he’s just yelling and yelling beat Tennessee, beat Tennessee," said Williams this week (via 247Sports). "So, we got a chip on our shoulder, mainly because of B Spikes putting the bug in our ear."
"Oh, and this offseason, we did a whole thing about rivalries and Tennessee was one of those rivalries," added Williams. "Just knowing that you’re not only not only playing for the name on your back, but the name on the front of your jersey. The Gators. It's not about us. It's about the people who came before us and all the great role models and all the great players who came before us and just continuing that legacy. I feel like that's the biggest challenge for us."
Williams also said that Florida is looking at the Tennessee game as a "statement game".
"For us it’s more of a statement game, like the last two weeks wasn’t a fluke," said Williams. "I feel like we’ve been putting the work in. (Austin) Armstrong (Florida's DC) is a great coach and he’s always going to put us in the right place at the right time. We’ve gotta go out there and execute, make the plays that we’re supposed to make and we’ll be fine.”
This game means a lot for both programs. Florida is looking to take a big step forward under Billy Napier, while Tennessee is hoping to cement itself as a legitimate championship contender under Josh Heupel. The outcome of this game will have a massive impact on how Florida's and Tennessee's seasons are viewed when it's all over come early January.
Vols fans won’t like Steve Spurrier’s take on Saturday’s Tennessee vs Florida game
Vols fans probably won’t like former Gatos head coach Steve Spurrier’s take on Saturday’s Tennessee vs Florida game
Featured image via Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
