NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The forecast here on Saturday calls for game-time temperatures in the 40s and mostly sunny skies instead of the gloomy overcast sky that blanketed the Vanderbilt campus on Friday.
However, Vanderbilt Stadium won’t be host to an overflow crowd and it certainly won’t have the electric atmosphere of the Florida-Georgia game in Jacksonville.
And for those making the trip to the Florida-Vanderbilt game, breakfast with the Gators will have a different flavor than normal. The Gators and Commodores kick off locally at 11:21 Saturday morning, making the Gators’ stop here a challenging one in several ways.
There’s also this: If you looked up the meaning of a look-ahead game in the dictionary, a game like this would serve as a good example.
But don’t tell the Gators that. They are not listening. They say too much is at stake.
“We’re two wins away from making it to Atlanta, which is where we want to go,’’ said Gators senior defensive tackle Terron Sanders.
Florida kept its hopes alive for a third consecutive trip to the Southeastern Conference Championship Game with a thrilling 34-31 overtime win over Georgia. Next up is perennial SEC East doormat Vanderbilt.
Florida hasn’t lost to the Commodores since 1988, winning 19 in a row. But they are more worried about winning two in a row after snapping a three-game losing streak with the win over Georgia.
“We are not going to take anybody lightly,’’ Florida receiver Frankie Hammond said. “You don’t want to underestimate any team.’’
The Gators responded well earlier in the season when they faced a similar situation at home against Kentucky. With a much-hyped game at No. 1 Alabama the following week, the Gators rolled over Kentucky 48-14 in freshman quarterback Trey Burton’s coming-out party.
This week, much of the focus in the media and among fans is the potential showdown with South Carolina and former UF coach Steve Spurrier for the SEC East crown next week at The Swamp. For that to become a reality, the Gators must not stumble at Vanderbilt.
Florida coach Urban Meyer is 5-0 against the Commodores during his time at UF, but his first meeting was a 49-42 double-overtime win in Gainesville that was too close for comfort.
Meyer said multiple factors – including the early starting time and unusual game-day schedule – make Saturday’s game a unique one.
“It is a concern because you know the team that you are playing is one of those teams looking to getcha,’’ Meyer said. “There is nothing we can do about it but go play our tails off.’’
Vanderbilt suffered a big loss this week when sophomore running back/kick returner Warren Norman needed surgery to repair a dislocated wrist he injured in a loss to Arkansas.
Norman leads the Commodores in rushing (459 yards) and kickoff returns (25.4 yards per return) but is likely out for the rest of the season.
“It will certainly affect us. Warren was an excellent returner as well as one of our top backs,’’ Vanderbilt coach Robbie Caldwell said. “He was a quiet leader for our team. He gave us a chance to make something happen as one of our potential playmakers.’’
As the Gators prepared this week, they often spoke about not losing the momentum they gained in the victory over Georgia. After their first three-game losing streak in 11 years, a sense of relief was obvious in everyone from Meyer on down the roster.
Meyer said other than the two hours at practice each day, “the other 22 hours were miserable’’ during the Gators’ losing streak. He credited the players for their commitment to improve in practice for the turnaround.
“There is no shortage of good dudes in this program,’’ Meyer said.
Junior quarterback John Brantley was one of the players Meyer praised heavily following the win over Georgia, calling it Brantley’s best game. Brantley passed for 193 yards and shared the stage with Burton, who took more snaps than usual out of a no-huddle offense that often kept Georgia guessing as Brantley and Burton rotated constantly between receiver and quarterback.
Brantley has tried to assert himself more of a leader as the season progressed, making sure his teammates know what is still at stake and what they must do to make it happen.
“We’ve got to know what’s ahead of us,’’ Brantley said. “We’ve got to concentrate on Vanderbilt. Just because we beat Georgia doesn’t mean we’re world beaters. We’ve got to just keep going and keep practicing hard with that little chip on our shoulders.’’
We’ll soon know how that plan worked.
“You don’t want to get too ahead of yourself, because when you get too ahead of yourself, that’s when little things happen,’’ Hammond said. “[The Georgia win] gave us a more positive [outlook], just more stuff to look forward to since we are still in the race for the SEC.’’
