Florida Gators

We're heading into Week 3 in the SEC, so here's what to watch:

1. Quarterback health: The statuses of Arkansas' Tyler Wilson and South Carolina's Connor Shaw are still unknown. Wilson suffered a head injury against Louisiana-Monroe, while Shaw is still nursing a bruised shoulder from Week 1. For the Gamecocks, losing Shaw for the second straight week won't really hurt South Carolina's offense. It was just fine without him against East Carolina. However, Arkansas isn't in the same position. Brandon Allen completed just 6 of 20 passes against Louisiana-Monroe in place of Wilson. Not having Wilson will make Saturday's game against No. 1 Alabama that much tougher for the Razorbacks.

2. Arkansas' defense: Speaking of the Razorbacks, what has happened to that defense? It was supposed to be more aggressive and more disciplined under Paul Haynes. We saw neither in the second half against Louisiana-Monroe, as the Razorbacks blew a 21-point lead. The defense was shredded against a lesser opponent and now has to play one of the most balanced attacks in the SEC. Last year, Alabama wore down this defense. If Arkansas is going to pick itself up, it has to play much tougher than it has in the first two games. Alabama has far more talent than Arkansas' first opponents and has the capability to really beat this unit down.

3. Tennessee’s passing game vs. Florida’s secondary: This game always comes down to the running game, but the difference this time will be Tennessee's passing game against Florida’s secondary. The Gators are loaded with talent back there and made tremendous strides during the second half of the Texas A&M game, while Tennessee might have the best passing game in the SEC, led by quarterback Tyler Bray. The matchups between Justin Hunter and Marcus Roberson and Cordarrelle Patterson and Loucheiz Purifoy should be great. Zach Rogers is another deep threat the Gators have to be careful about, but Matt Elam has the ability to take the deep ball away for Florida. Should be fun.

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It’s grudge time on the SEC blog as the Kid’s alma mater (Florida) takes on my alma mater (Tennessee). There hasn’t been a lot of trash talk, although I told him he should have to sing “Rocky Top” on video if the Vols win.

His Gators have owned this series, so there’s not a lot I can say. They’ve won the past seven games. The last time Tennessee won, the Kid was still playing youth soccer somewhere and sitting on the bench with a juice box on one side of him and his orange slices on the other.

I hear he still rolls that way.

That said, let’s roll through this week’s picks:

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In this segment of RecruitingNation 411, top offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil names a top three, and Corey Long goes in to detail about where things really stand with Tunsil and the Florida Gators.

Jeff Barlis and Mike DiRocco discuss the Gators' plan to beat the Vols with the offensive line coming off a rough week and two key defensive players -- Jelani Jenkins and Cody Riggs -- sidelined.

The programs at Florida and Tennessee right now mirror each other in a number of ways.

Both are looking to break back through in the Eastern Division, and both need a signature win in the worst way.

They’ll get their chance this Saturday.

Derek Dooley is 0-10 against nationally ranked opponents at Tennessee, and Will Muschamp is 0-5 against nationally ranked foes at Florida.

The No. 23 Vols have lost 11 straight and 17 of their past 18 to ranked teams. Their last win over a ranked opponent was 31-13 against No. 21 South Carolina in 2009.

The No. 18 Gators have lost nine straight to ranked teams. Their last win over a ranked opponent was 51-24 over No. 4 Cincinnati in the Sugar Bowl to end the 2009 season.

Saturday’s game in Knoxville marks the first time both teams have been ranked since 2007. The No. 5 Gators routed the No. 22 Vols 59-20 that day in Gainesville.

Tennessee’s appearance in the Top 25 this week marks the first time the Vols have been ranked since the opening week of the 2008 season.

Florida has won seven in a row over Tennessee. Even during the Vols’ dizzying run in the 1990s, which produced back-to-back SEC championships in 1997 and 1998, the Gators have dominated this series. The two teams have played 20 times since the SEC’s divisional split in 1992, and Florida owns a 15-5 record during that span.

The Vols’ players don’t seem too concerned about the past.

“I think people want to wait and see how we do against Florida, but I’m here to tell them that we’re going to beat them,” Tennessee defensive end Darrington Sentimore said.

The truth is that this rivalry needed a little spice, and it's been a while since it really meant something.

Maybe that all changes on Saturday in Neyland Stadium.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Florida defensive coordinator Dan Quinn is obviously not happy losing weakside linebacker Jelani Jenkins for what could be up to a month because of a fractured thumb.

But he’s eager to see what the Gators will be able to get from freshman Antonio Morrison.

Quinn and UF coach Will Muschamp have been raving about the 6-foot-1, 218-pound freshman since he arrived on campus in January. They have been impressed with his football knowledge and particularly how physical Morrison plays despite being built more like a wide receiver than a linebacker.

"I think it’s a big opportunity for Bo (Morrison)," Quinn said Wednesday. "When he came in early as an early enrollee, he really had a maturity level that was (better than) the normal college freshman. He asked really good questions. He was really on it in terms of the details of playing linebacker."

Morrison -- who was unable to comment because freshmen are prohibited from speaking to the media -- has made nine tackles in two games. He got significant playing time against Texas A&M after Jenkins went down early in the first quarter with his injury. He and sophomore Michael Taylor have been alternating reps with the first team during practice this week, but it’s likely that Morrison will start alongside middle linebacker Jon Bostic.

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After spending half the podcast talking about Notre Dame's move to the ACC, Ivan Maisel and Mark Schlabach thoroughly discuss Florida's game at Tennessee on Saturday as well as the state of the SEC heading into the weekend. Listen here

No one was happier at Kyle Field on Saturday than QB Jeff Driskel when a bootleg was called with 1:30 remaining in the fourth quarter against Texas A&M.

With the Gators clinging to a 20-17 lead inside one of college football’s toughest venues and facing second-and-10 at their own 45-yard line, offensive coordinator Brent Pease reached into his playbook and put the entire game on Driskel’s shoulders in his first career start.

Driskel loved it. For someone who looked lost as a rookie in 2011, Driskel wanted the chance to win the game and looked very confident when he faked the power play up the middle, rolled to his right, evaded an Aggies defender and darted past the first-down marker for a 21-yard gain that sealed the game for Florida.

“It was a big call,” Driskel said. “We knew that they were going to load the box because it’s definitely a time in the game where you try to run the ball and kill the clock.

“We knew if I could make a guy miss, we could pick up some good yardage. That’s what happened.”

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