Tennessee should beat Florida this weekend. However, we’ve all heard that before leading into the annual SEC East rivalry. Historically, it usually doesn’t turn out that way.

The Vols are 10.5-point favorites over the Gators, have a more established program, will be at home and are, quite simply, a better team.

Opportunities to beat the Gators under such circumstances don’t come along very often and it might be quite some time before Tennessee has such a clearcut advantage.

Florida coach Billy Napier is supposed to be the exact kind of coach that should scare the rest of the SEC East – other than Georgia. We’ll see. Many people thought the same thing about former Florida coach Dan Mullen and he is now more focused on his television career after learning that recruiting at Florida still requires some work.

Napier is thought to be a strong recruiter, although recruiting at Florida is more challenging than one might think. Former Florida coach Steve Spurrier was able to play golf and recruit elite talent. Those days are over. There are too many schools with big budgets that target Florida and can simply hop on a plane at a moment’s notice to woo a prospect.

Those kinds of resources weren’t available for as many schools in Spurrier’s heyday. Now, those resources are like pocket change for dozens of programs. Nevertheless, Napier will work hard to recruit and likely have success. However, that’s all in the future.

Here are four things to know about the Tennessee-Florida game on Saturday.

Anthony’s advantage

Anthony Richardson can only beat the Vols if they let him. Sure, you could say that about any quarterback, but Richardson has his limitations. So far, he’s not a great passer and not really a great quarterback. Richardson’s passer rating (89) is the worst in the SEC.

Richardson, however, is a freak athlete that can flip the script on anyone that doesn’t defend him with proper discipline. Forget about sacks. Tennessee’s defenders just need to keep Richardson in front of them and make sure he doesn’t split through a gap if the Vols’ pass coverage is good downfield and Richardson has no where to go. The Vols have to maintain their rush lanes. If Richardson is running, then Tennessee’s defense is losing.

This is not the week for Tennessee’s defensive front and, in particular, the Vols’ defensive linemen to try to be heroes. There will be quarterbacks coming up on the schedule that will be easier targets. Richardson is not one of them.

Miller time?

Ventrell Miller is Florida’s most valuable defender. If he plays against Tennessee on Saturday, then the Vols will face a much better defense than the Gators showcased last week when they squeaked by South Florida. Miller was out with an undiagnosed injury against the Bulls last week. His status is uncertain for the Tennessee game, but he’ll likely be back for the Vols.

Miller is not only a solid player; he also handles most of Florida’s defensive calls. The Gators struggled at times to get in proper position last week on defense. Miller’s presence would change that this week. That makes Florida a better defense than the Vols saw on tape against South Florida.

Ground it out Gators

Florida’s 212 rushing yards per game is fifth-best in the SEC. That is what Napier wants his teams to look like, especially with a shaky quarterback. Tennessee’s rushing defense is fourth best in the SEC, allowing 83 yards per game.

Florida will do everything it can to run the football to help manage the game. If Florida can have a consistent running attack, then Richardson can run more effective passing plays off of play-action, bootlegs and waggles. None of those plays work if the Vols can stop the run. Even in this pass-happy era of college football, it’s important to stop the run. It’s vital this week.

Squeaky clean

Florida doesn’t get hit with many significant penalties. The Gators 38-yards per game in penalties is tied for best in the SEC. The Gators have lost just one fumble and are net even in turnover margin. Florida could make mistakes and beat themselves, but that doesn’t seem likely. The Vols will probably have to prove themselves as the better team straight up by limiting their own turnovers and mistakes, which have been an issue, but not a glaring concern.

The Vols have turned the ball over three times this season and have a special teams unit that was especially bad against the one good team they played, Pittsburgh.

The game plan for Tennessee is pretty simple: stop the run and don’t make mistakes. If that happens, then the Vols will beat the Gators and, perhaps, beat them quite comfortably.