Will Florida wilt again against UT Vols at Neyland Stadium?

A strange thing happened the last time Tennessee and Florida got together at Neyland Stadium: The Gators folded.

Tennessee spotted them a 21-0 lead two years ago before blowing past the Gators in the second half for a 38-28 victory.

Their second-half collapse was hardly indicative of how the series has gone since the SEC went to divisional play in 1992. The turnabout should give the Vols more confidence entering their conference opener Saturday night (7 p.m., ESPN).

But these Gators shouldn’t be confused with all the teams that have dealt so much misery UT’s way.

Florida players occasionally still talk a big game, just as they did when coach Steve Spurrier was encouraging them to speak their mind. But they’re no longer adept at bringing their pregame chatter to life in the heat of battle.

Take the recent Florida-Kentucky game, for example.

Defensive back Chauncey Gardner-Johnson boldly spoke the obvious in declaring that Florida’s 31-game winning streak against Kentucky would be extended to 32.

Two days after Kentucky’s 27-16 victory in The Swamp, a humbled Gardner-Johnson changed his tone.  

“They came and slapped us in the mouth,” he told reporters.

That likely won’t be the Gators’ last slap in the mouth. If they pick up where they left off two years ago at Neyland Stadium, there could be another slap-down with a Power T imprint.

In better Tennessee times, Florida’s decline would be received with celebration. But how can UT fans revel in Florida’s failure when the Vols have tumbled to greater depths?

Tennessee was 4-8 last season; Florida, 4-7. The Gators maintained their superiority by the thinnest of margins – a last-second, 63-yard touchdown pass in The Swamp last September.

The Vols and Gators made coaching changes after last season. Eventually that might pay off for both programs.

There has been no payoff so far. Tennessee looked awful in a 40-14 season-opening loss to West Virginia before beating outmanned ETSU and UTEP back to back. Florida routed Charleston Southern in the opener and won handily against Colorado State after a slow start Saturday.

But in between, the Gators lost to Kentucky, a team they had beaten with numbing regularity.

After being whipped decisively at the line of scrimmage, the Gators reached a conclusion that was obvious to anyone watching: They needed to toughen up. They needed to be more physical.

The Gators weren’t tough enough or fast enough on their last trip to Neyland Stadium. They couldn’t have looked much slower if they had been running in sand in the second half.

Maybe then-Florida coach Jim McElwain didn’t substitute enough early. But Florida couldn’t seem to catch its breath when it was futilely trying to catch up with Tennessee quarterback Joshua Dobbs in the second half.

The Gators won’t have to worry about keeping up with Dobbs this go-round. This Tennessee team won’t present the challenges as the 2016 Vols did.

But Tennessee fans will be honoring their 1998 national championship team. That should raise the decibel level and provide a badly needed advantage for Tennessee, which hasn’t won an SEC game since November 2016.

And it should tell us if the Gators are any tougher than they were against Kentucky or their last appearance at Neyland Stadium.

John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or john.adams@knoxnews.com. Follow him at: twitter.com/johnadamskns.

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