No. 23 Tennessee, No. 24 Florida open SEC play in Swamp

Sep 14, 2017 - 3:44 PM No. 23 Tennessee (2-0) at No. 24 Florida (0-1), Saturday 3:30 p.m. ET (CBS) Line: Florida by 5. Series record: Florida leads 26-20. WHAT'S AT STAKE A spot in the Top 25. Loser likely will drop from the rankings. It's also probably the most important game in Florida coach Jim McElwain's three seasons. The Gators lost a gimme against Northern Colorado due to Hurricane Irma and are still reeling from a 33-17 beatdown against Michigan in which they failed to score an offensive touchdown. Losing to Tennessee for the second consecutive year would make the Gators 0-2 for the first time since 1971. KEY MATCHUP Tennessee RB John Kelly vs. Florida's defensive front. The Gators were gashed on the ground by the Wolverines, who ran for 215 yards, and have to shore up holes or else Kelly could enjoy another big day. Kelly leads the Vols with 208 yards rushing and is averaging 151.5 yards from scrimmage. PLAYERS TO WATCH Tennessee: WR Marquez Callaway is a big-play threat. The sophomore has five catches for 152 yards and three touchdowns and will face a Florida secondary that includes freshmen Marco Wilson and C.J. Henderson. Florida: QB Feleipe Franks is looking to bounce back from a shaky first performance. The redshirt freshman completed 5 of 9 passes for 75 yards against Michigan before getting benched following a fumble early in the third quarter. He missed a chance to rebuild his confidence against Northern Colorado of the Football Championship Subdivision. FACTS & FIGURES Gators will be without nine players suspended indefinitely for alleged credit card fraud, including standout WR Antonio Callaway and starting RB Jordan Scarlett. ... Volunteers have dropped three straight road games in Southeastern Conference play. ... Vols looking to start 3-0 in back-to-back seasons for first time since 2003-04. ... Tennessee overcame 21-3 halftime deficit to end 11-game losing streak in series last year. ... Gators have gone seven consecutive games without a rushing touchdown. ... Florida is 11-1 at home under McElwain. ___ More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25