Heat keeps on rising in Florida-Tennessee rivalry
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The billboard jutted defiantly from Florida’s landscape, malevolent in presence, perhaps even in intent.
It touted Tennessee’s football program, and it did so along I-95 in Fort Lauderdale, a fertile Florida Gator recruiting ground. Featuring larger-than-life photos of Vols head coach Lane Kiffin and defensive back Eric Berry, the sign’s screaming capital letters simply stated: “IT’S TIME.”
This Saturday, it will be.
This Saturday at Florida Field, the Gators and Vols renew their rivalry, this time with heightened hostility.
“We’ve been counting down since the workouts,” Gators offensive lineman James Wilson told reporters Sunday. “We’ve got a sign in the weight room that says how many days until Tennessee.”
After opening their season with cupcake games against Charleston Southern and Troy, Gator players announced that their season has officially begun with the arrival of Tennessee week.
Oh yeah, it’s time.
Florida-Tennessee is always circled in red on the calendar. This year, though, it’s blood red. Kiffin guaranteed that. When he got the Tennessee job last December, Kiffin didn’t step on Gator toes — he stomped them.
USA Today.com
9/17/9
Magnolia Tribune
