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By ANTONYA ENGLISH
© St. Petersburg Times, published September 13, 2001
OFFBEAT: You might think this weekend's game between Florida and Tennessee would be a little awkward, if not downright difficult, for Doug Dickey.
The Tennessee athletic director has ties to both schools. He has been employed at UT for more than two decades, including as head coach. But he also happens to be a former Florida quarterback who played for the Gators from 1950 to 1953.
But Dickey will be pulling for Tennessee as if he never wore an Orange and Blue jersey. In fact, that's the way it has been for years.
"I've been at the University of Tennessee for 23 years off and on in my career and I lived in Gainesville for 17 years," Dickey said. "Knoxville, Tennessee is home to me. That's where my time is spent and that's where my heart and soul are -- at Tennessee.
Dickey, who recently signed a contract extension that will keep him at the helm of UT's athletic department until 2003, said he most likely won't see many, if any, of his old Gainesville friends.
"We go to Ocala and stay with the team," he said. "We have some Tennessee alumni and people that I mix with on Friday night. Occasionally, I see somebody (he knows) walking around. But there are other times of the year to say hello to friends. There are other times of the year."
Saturday is strictly about Tennessee. And winning.
STAT ATTACK: The last time Tennessee won in Gainesville, it was 1971, current Vols coach Phil Fulmer was a starting senior offensive lineman and Steve Spurrier was backing up John Brody in the NFL with the San Francisco 49er's.
"It's a fond recollection from playing," Fulmer said."
In that game, the Vols went on a 99-yard drive to win the game 20-13, Fulmer said.
"That kind of drive to win was big," he said.
Still, even though it has been 30 years since the Vols won in Gainesville, Fulmer said it's a little unfair to call it a jinx.
"We haven't played every other year since 1971, that's a little bit of a misnomer by itself." Fulmer said. "It's a tough place to play and they do a great job."
In a way, senior kicker Jeff Chandler's career began with the Tennessee Vols. Chandler earned his starting job after the 1998 game when Cooper Collins missed an overtime field goal against the Vols. Chandler had been splitting time at the position.
Since then, things have gone very well for the Jacksonville native. He is Florida's all-time leading scorer with 275 points.
"That (scoring record) is just something that comes along with the territory." said Chandler, who was granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA to play this season. "First I just wanted to get here and play and whatever happened after that was just a bonus. It means a lot to me now and it's pretty special, but I didn't plan on any of that stuff happening to me."
Chandler has an outside chance of breaking the SEC's scoring record of 371 points -- currently held by Tennessee's Jeff Shaw. But the scoring record isn't his No. 1 priority.
"That would be cool," he said. "But the main thing is winning championships around here. I want to go out a champion."
At that could start with a game-winning kick on Saturday.
SCOUTING REPORT: Florida coach Steve Spurrier believes the Tennessee defense may be the toughest in the nation. At the least, it will be the toughest Florida has faced this season.
John Henderson, last season's Outland Trophy winner, has been hampered by a high ankle sprain and missed last week's game against Arkansas. Expect him to be on the field this week unless he can't walk. That means Florida's young, still improving offensive line will be faced with its biggest challenge of the season.
"They are great up front," offensive tackle Mike Pearson said.
The Vols also have a running game that Florida would kill for, featuring senior tailback Travis Stephens, who rushed for 206 yards against Arkansas to surpass the 1,000-yard career mark.
If UT's first two games are any indication, the Florida defensive ends could have a field day with quarterback Casey Clausen. The Vols have given up seven sacks in two games. Two years ago, this was Alex Brown's coming out party. The senior would like to have a going away party in similar fashion.
QUOTABLE:"We've been attacked, and heck, we're all in this together now -- Vols, Bulldogs and Gators -- we're all together in this thing. It's a sad day for all of us."
Florida coach Steve Spurrier following the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington Tuesday morning.