Comment from Vols senior shows the mindset Tennessee's players have for the Florida game
There are plenty of Tennessee Vols fans who feel like UT's players have a "mental block" when it comes to playing the Florida Gators. And honestly, they might be right. Tennessee has lost to some Florida teams that weren't that good. Over the last 10 years, the Vols should've beat Florida at least three more […]
There are plenty of Tennessee Vols fans who feel like UT's players have a "mental block" when it comes to playing the Florida Gators.
And honestly, they might be right.
Tennessee has lost to some Florida teams that weren't that good. Over the last 10 years, the Vols should've beat Florida at least three more times than they actually have (2014, 2015 and 2017).
But for whatever reason, Florida gets the best of the Vols more often than not — even when Tennessee has the better team.
The only explanation is that players are putting too much pressure on themselves to beat the Gators. So they play tight, which can lead to mistakes (and losses).
This year's matchup between Florida and Tennessee should go the Vols' way. On paper, Tennessee is the better team. And if you removed the names from the uniforms, I think nearly everyone unbiased soul in the nation would pick the Vols to win.
It's going to come down to the mindset that Tennessee's players have on Saturday.
Fortunately for the Vols, it sounds like the players are in a good place. Instead of putting pressure on themselves, they're embracing the fact that they get to play in a big game like this.
"It means the world," said Vols senior tight end Jacob Warren on Monday when asked about playing Florida. "This is what you come to schools like this for, right? You come for these big rivalries. These big storied matchups between teams. I think it means a lot this year too because both programs have really good teams. We're both ranked. It's going to be a great matchup."
"This is what you play SEC ball for is weekends like this," added Warren.
Warren went on to add that he doesn't feel like Tennessee has a mental block against the Gators.
"Every year we go into the game thinking we're going to win," explained Warren. "You don't go into a game thinking 'it's Florida again, it's Alabama again, it's Georgia, let's just try to go and not lose". No, everyone, genuinely as a competitor, wants to go in and win the game."
The Vols know this is a big game. They aren't running from that. But they also know they're a good team. And they know that nothing that's happened in the past will have an impact on this game unless they let it.
It's clear from Warren's comments that this team isn't going to let losses in the past give the Gators an easy win this weekend.
Tennessee has a chance to change the narrative this weekend. If they can beat Florida, it's going to send the hype for this team to another level. And it's going to show fans that Heupel — who would become the first Vols coach since Phillip Fulmer to beat Florida in his first or second season — is the real deal.
(Note: Fulmer beat Florida as the interim head coach in 1992, while Johnny Majors was recovering from bypass surgery. Fulmer didn't beat the Gators again until 1998.)
Featured image via Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
