Reacting to Boo Carter and whether Tennessee football fans should worry about Florida
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Boo Carter is no longer a Vol. Joey Aguilar looks a little shaky. And the curse of The Swamp is lingering around Tennessee football.
It’s Florida game week and, per usual, there’s plenty to talk about.
On this podcast episode of “The Volunteer State,” beat writer Adam Sparks and columnist John Adams react to the inevitable exit of Carter, the once promising young player for the Vols. And they gauge how worried UT fans should be about the upcoming trip to The Swamp, where the Vols haven’t won since 2003.
No. 20 Tennessee (7-3, 3-3 SEC) plays Florida (3-7, 2-5 SEC) on Nov. 22 (7:30 p.m. ET, ABC) in Gainesville. Sparks and Adams talked about that matchup and much more.
To hear the full discussion, listen to the podcast. Here are a few highlights.
Why Boo Carter departure was inevitable, sooner or later
The Boo Carter saga appears to be over, or at least Tennessee’s part in it.
Sparks went through the play-by-play of the Carter situation, beginning with his absence at the New Mexico State game and ending with his expected dismissal and a war of words.
Adams said Carter is ultra-talented, but he lacks self-awareness. And now he wonders about the people who paid Carter’s NIL contract, and how frustrated they must be.
Sparks comically recalled a play in spring practice to dive into a deeper discussion. Quarterback Nico Iamaleava took the snap and drifted in the pocket behind tackle Larry Johnson. Then he passed the ball to Boo Carter, who was engaged on a tackle by safety Jakobe Thomas.
Seven months later, none of those players are on UT’s team. Sparks said that defines this season as one of adjustments for the Vols.
Why Tennessee fans should — and shouldn’t — feel confident vs. Florida
Many of UT’s players weren’t born yet when the Vols last won in The Swamp in 2003. They’re aware of that losing streak, but fans feel it much deeper.
“I don’t think this matters to players much. I don’t think players relate to history,” Adams said. “But I can see where fans who know the history should be concerned.”
Sparks said he also understands the pessimism among some UT fans about this game.
Despite firing Billy Napier a few weeks ago, Florida still has gas left in the tank. Sure, it was blown out by Kentucky, but it also took playoff teams Georgia and Ole Miss to the wire. Talented Florida defensive tackle Caleb Banks could return from an injury in this game. And it’s a night game, so Ben Hill Griffin Stadium should be rocking.
Plus, UT looked uninspired in a 42-9 win over New Mexico State. Aguilar is a little off, tossing four interceptions in the past two games. And the Vols are suffering through injuries to key players.
Despite all that, Adams said UT fans should be hopeful about beating the Gators.
“I’m not sure that Florida has what it takes to exploit Tennessee’s weakness,” Adams said.
To hear that explanation and much more, listen to the podcast.
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing atknoxnews.com/subscribe.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Reacting to Boo Carter and whether Tennessee football should worry about Florida
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