Tennessee Volunteers Offensive Players to Monitor Against Florida Gators

The Florida Gators will be up against some strong offensive competition when they take on the Tennessee Volunteers

The Florida Gators have some tough offensive competition when they play Tennessee / Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

The Florida Gators take on the eighth-ranked Tennessee Volunteers on Saturday. The Gators will be up against one of the toughest offenses in all of college football.

Tennessee has the fifth most total yards (519.0), rushing offense (266.8) and points scored (46.0). They also average 63.6 points per game on home field. 

Among the tough offensive core, there will be some key players to keep an eye. If the Gators can find a way to shut them down, they could have a chance to leave Knoxville with a win. 

Let’s dive in.

Dylan Sampson, Running Back

Sampson is the leading offensive player on the Vols offense. His 12 touchdowns account for 46% of the times the team has found the endzone this season. 

He’s rushed for 587 yards (6.5 yards per carry) and has tallied 81 receiving yards on eight receptions as well for good measure.  

Sampson had no trouble getting the job done in SEC play. He rushed for 128 yards and two touchdowns against Arkansas and 92 yards and a touchdown against Oklahoma. 

If there is a single player who can take down the Gators on his own, it’s Sampson. 

DeSean Bishop, Running Back

Even if the Gators find a way to contain Sampson, they’re not out of the woods yet. Bishop is having a strong season in his own right.

He’s rushed for 306 yards, averaging 7.5 yards per carry. While he’s not the go-to guy to hand the ball off in the red zone, he still has three rushing touchdowns this season.  He’s not a threat in the passing game with one reception this season. 

Arkansas was able to shut him down in the win last week, but the Razorbacks have a strong rush defense. Even then, he rushed for 65 yards against Oklahoma, whose rush defense is on par with Arkansas’. 

The Gators, meanwhile, are second to last in the SEC with 172.6 rushing yards allowed per game.  They’ll be kept on their toes a little more. 

Nico Iamaleava

If there is one area the Gators are on equal footing with Tennessee with the passing game. Both teams have nine passing touchdowns and similar passing yards per game totals.

Florida: 268.6 yards per game

Tennessee: 252.2 yards per game

Neither Arkansas nor Oklahoma have stellar pass defenses and have been able to mostly contain Iamaleava. He’s beatable, at least compared to his running back counterparts. But the Gators' defense has slacked off against weaker competition. 

Even though he has a primary target in Dont’e Thornton Jr., he spread the ball around to his other top three receiving targets: Bru McCoy, Chris Brazzell and Squirrel White.  

The Florida Gators will take on the Tennesse Volunteers on Saturday. Kick off is scheduled for 7 p.m.