Florida's Road Matchup at Tennessee set for Evening Start

The Florida Gators' road trip to Tennessee will be one of Week Seven's headlining matchups.

Sep 16, 2023; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Florida Gators wide receiver Eugene Wilson III (3) runs with the ball during the first half against the Tennessee Volunteers at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images / Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

KNOXVILLE, Tenn.-- The Florida Gators road matchup on Oct. 12 against No. 4 Tennessee will kick off at 7 p.m. with television coverage on ESPN, the Southeastern Conference announced Monday.

In recent history, this matchup has belonged to the Gators, who hold a 19-5 record against the Volunteers since 2000. Last season, unranked Florida upset then-No. 11 Tennessee, 29-16, behind a 20-point second quarter and consistently-dominate defense.

Now-Georgia running back Trevor Etienne rushed for 172 yards while Montrell Johnson Jr. scored both on the ground and through the air. The Gators held Tennessee scoreless from the 5:33 mark in the first quarter all the way until the 9:31 mark in the third quarter.

However, this year's matchup poses a tougher task at hand for the Gators. Under current head coach Billy Napier, Florida is 3-7 on the road and 7-11 in SEC games. Meanwhile, Tennessee is 20-4 at home and 15-10 in SEC games under head coach Josh Heupel.

As it stands, the Volunteers (4-0) are ranked No. 4 nationally in the most-recent AP Poll after a 25-15 road win over Oklahoma. Tennessee travels to Arkansas this week with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. and television coverage on ABC.

Florida, meanwhile, sits at 2-2 after a bye week with in-state foe UCF next up. The Gators are coming off a 45-28 road win at Mississippi State two weeks ago, its first win over an FBS opponent since mid-October of last season.

Kickoff from the Swamp is at 7:45 p.m. with television coverage on SEC Network.