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Road Win Is Nice, But UF Still Has A Lot To Prove

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By JOEY JOHNSTON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 21, 2008

Updated: 09/21/2008 12:23 am

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - There was a time when this resounding result - Florida 30, Tennessee 6 - would send people scurrying for reservations to the BCS Championship Game in Miami.

If Gators fans suddenly feel that buzz, here's some advice. Slow down. No, even more than that.

S-l-o-w-e-r.

Take deep breaths.

Saturday said more about Tennessee's slide into irrelevance than Florida's return to glory. Not much was decided. But it's an SEC road victory, and you can never scoff at that. It was far from perfection, though, or even dominance.

"We're happy, but we haven't proven one thing yet," Gators cornerback Janoris Jenkins said.

Exactly.

Remember when the Gators used to think of Tennessee as the SEC East's stepping-stone game? Clearly, these programs are now in completely different leagues.

Vols Hit The Depths

Vols coach Phillip Fulmer, embattled yet again after a 1-2 start, said "that loss is on me."

So is the direction of his program. Tennessee - basketball school? - has been lapped by Georgia, by Auburn, by LSU, by Alabama. And it is certainly looking up at Florida. Urban Meyer has channeled his inner Spurrier, slapping the Vols four straight times.

It got so quiet inside Neyland Stadium - 106,138 fans, mostly sitting on their hands - you almost welcomed a few renditions of "Rocky Top." The band was pretty out of it, too.

Why, Meyer didn't even feel the need to run up the score.

That's how far Tennessee has fallen.

The Vols actually outgained Florida - 258 yards to 243 - but it had two no-excuse turnovers in the second quarter, both after driving to UF's 1-yard line.

That pretty much sapped the spirit of Tennessee, which was beaten 59-20 last season in Gainesville. Looking back, Gators linebacker Brandon Spikes said the Vols "quit playing."

This time? "I think they played harder," Spikes said. "But we played relentless."

Defense Picks It Up

September's games probably won't reverberate in December. The Gators have a schedule that seems to be setting up nicely - although the Oct. 11 home game against LSU and the Nov. 1 showdown with Georgia loom fairly large.

But even though it's early, here's an encouraging trend.

Tim Tebow doesn't need to carry the Gators.

There's a semblance of a running game. The special teams look terrific (Question: Why would anyone kick to UF's Brandon James - ever?)

And there's a defense, which barely existed last season, when the Gators surrendered 141 points in their four losses.

"Our offense drove it right down the throat on the first drive, then we got Tennessee three-and-out," Spikes said. "That set the tone.

"We were embarrassed by what happened last season. I was here in 2006 and our defense played with so much leadership, so much passion. In the offseason, we took it as a challenge to get back to that level. It's paying off."

Meyer already sees the difference.

"We're more mature," Meyer said. "I want them to conduct themselves like a professional athlete. Playing football is what they do for a living. They get an education, but they play football.

"If you look at it different than that, you don't understand the level of football you are playing. This is SEC football, and this was a big-time road game. I'm proud of their professional approach."

Part of that approach must be a short-term memory. The Vols have become more of an annoyance than a threat. The Gators did what was necessary, then got out of town.

It's too early to seek any deeper meaning than that.

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