GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- No. 24 Florida is trying to avoid taking a step backward in Coach Jim McElwain's third season.
The Gators face the possibility of starting 0-2 for the first time since 1971, two weeks after losing a season opener for the first time in 28 years.
Hurricane Irma wiped out a likely victory last week against overmatched Northern Colorado of the Football Championship Subdivision.
But that does little to diminish the importance of today's home and SEC opener against No. 23 Tennessee (2-0).
This is a chance to erase lingering feelings from that humbling Michigan 33-17 loss in the opener and prevent the kind of early season hole no Florida team has seen in nearly five decades.
"This is a big game, huge game," Gators linebacker David Reese said. "You could look at this game as almost like a do-or-die type of game. It's like a real big point, a fork in the road."
Florida is 3-8 against Top-25 teams under McElwain, with six of those losses coming against three of the nation's top programs: Alabama, Florida State and Michigan.
But losing to rival Tennessee for the second consecutive year, and at home, where the Volunteers haven't won in Gainesville since 2003, is not a favorable scenario.
"One of the great lessons you learn in athletics and especially the game of football is sometimes you get knocked down," McElwain said. "The measure of a true man is how he gets back up, and that's what we're going to do."
McElwain was talking about rebounding from the impact of hurricane Irma. He easily could have been talking about the opener and the fact that the Gators are still without nine suspended players, including standout receiver Antonio Callaway and starting running back Jordan Scarlett. The nine are being investigated for alleged credit card fraud.
Against Michigan, the Gators were handled on both lines of scrimmage, failed to score an offensive touchdown and benched quarterback Feleipe Franks in the third quarter for Malik Zaire, who was even less effective.
The Volunteers are looking to start 3-0 in consecutive years for the first time since 2003-2004.
They eked out a double-overtime victory against Georgia Tech in the opener and dominated FCS foe Indiana State last week. Beating Florida would make Tennessee the early favorite in the wide-open SEC East.
Both teams have questions to answer on defense: Tennessee yielded a team-record 535 yards on the ground to Georgia Tech and has allowed 400 or more yards rushing in four of its past seven games against Football Bowl Subdivision teams. The Gators, who rode their stout defense to consecutive East titles, surrendered 215 yards rushing and 218 yards passing against Michigan, but the Gators did return two interceptions for touchdowns.
"The big thing is belief in going on the road and winning football games," Vols Coach Butch Jones said. "I do think that's a byproduct of now being 17-4 in our last 21. Our players expect to win."
NO. 12 LSU (2-0) at MISSISSIPPI STATE (2-0)
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Mississippi State has a difficult stretch of games over the next three weeks, starting with today's conference opener against LSU Mississippi State then will travel to play No. 13 Georgia on Sept. 23 and No. 15 Auburn on Sept. 30. Mississippi State has looked good in its first two games of the season, easily beating Charleston Southern 49-0 and Louisiana Tech 57-21. The stakes are much higher now that SEC play is about to begin. LSU has won 16 of the past 17 meetings. But the competition has tightened in recent years: Mississippi State won 34-29 in 2014 and LSU had close wins in both 2015 (21-19) and 2016 (23-20).
KENTUCKY (2-0) AT SOUTH CAROLINA (2-0, 1-0)
COLUMBIA, S.C. -- South Carolina senior linebacker Bryson Allen-Williams has endured three consecutive losses to Kentucky during his time with the Gamecocks, and he said it's time for that sequence to end. "I don't want to go out being 0-4 against Kentucky," Allen-Williams said. "We're talking about it. We're making sure that we're focused. We're making sure that we're locked in." South Carolina, which joined the SEC in 1992, had dominated the series until the recent losing streak, and is still 17-7-1 against Kentucky, including a 10-game victory streak from 2000-2009 that started under coach Lou Holtz and continued with Steve Spurrier in charge. Kentucky believes it can extend the hold its had on the Gamecocks the past few years. The Wildcats have run for over 200 yards in each of its victories. Tailback Benny Snell bruised his ribs last week against Eastern Kentucky, but is expected to play.
COLORADO STATE (1-1) AT NO. 1 ALABAMA (2-0)
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Top-ranked Alabama has beaten a Top-5 team and dominated one from the Mountain West Conference while overcoming injuries to four linebackers. The next task is another Mountain West team, with Colorado State visiting Bryant-Denny Stadium tonight as four-touchdown underdogs. Then comes the SEC schedule for Coach Nick Saban's team. The Tide has already toppled Florida State and routed Fresno State. The Rams are taking their turn at representing the MWC after beating Oregon State by 31 points and losing 17-3 to Colorado when two touchdowns were negated by penalties. Colorado State quarterback Nick Stevens has passed for 985 yards in three games.
KANSAS STATE (2-0) AT VANDERBILT (2-0)
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Kansas State beat the last SEC team it played, Texas A&M, 33-28 in the Texas Bowl last December but hasn't beaten an SEC team on the road since Kentucky in 1982. Kansas State and Vanderbilt are meeting for the second time, with Vanderbilt winning 26-14 back in 1984. This is the first of four consecutive games for Coach Derek Mason's team against teams currently ranked in the AP Top 25.
MERCER (1-1) VS. NO. 15 AUBURN (1-1)
AUBURN, Ala. -- Auburn is moving offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey from the sidelines to the press box starting with today's game in an attempt to ensure quarterback Jarrett Stidham spends more time upright. Stidham was sacked 11 times against Clemson and the offense produced 117 total yards -- the fewest of Gus Malzahn's college coaching career -- in a 14-6 loss. The Tigers begin a stretch of seven consecutive SEC games at Missouri next week. This is Mercer's first game against either a ranked FBS opponent or a SEC team since restarting the program in 2013 after a 72-year hiatus.
SAMFORD (2-0) AT NO. 13 GEORGIA (2-0)
ATHENS, Ga. -- Freshman running back D'Andre Swift may be in position for a more prominent role when the Bulldogs face Samford on Saturday night. Swift earned compliments from coach Kirby Smart for his blocking in Georgia's victory over Appalachian State to open the season. The freshman from Philadelphia showed his big-play potential with a 40-yard run in last week's win at Notre Dame, leading to speculation he'll be a bigger part of this week's plan. Senior running backs Sony Michel (29-160 rushing) and Nick Chubb (28-159 rushing) have carried most of the load so far. This will be the sixth SEC opponent for Samford in the last seven years. Mississippi State beat Samford 56-41 in 2016. Samford threw for 468 yards while completing 42 of 70 passes.
PURDUE (1-1) AT MISSOURI (1-1)
COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Missouri's defense has shed its swarming reputation of recent history since Barry Odom took over as head coach before the 2016 season. The Tigers (1-1) ranked 118th nationally in total defense last season and opened 2017 by allowing 43 points to FCS foe Missouri State before playing a little better in a 31-13 loss to South Carolina last week. A day after the loss to the Gamecocks, Odom fired defensive coordinator DeMontie Cross, citing "philosophical differences." Cross' departure isn't likely to have a major impact on the Tigers, as Odom stripped him of play-calling duties midway through last season and the head coach continues to call the defense this season. Regardless, Purdue's balanced attack will likely provide challenges for Missouri's defense.
Sports on 09/16/2017