Tennessee Football Wide Receivers Make History Against Florida

The Tennessee Volunteers played on the road during one of the toughest atmospheres that they will ever see, as it is quite the task to go into The Swamp and compete with not only the Florida Gators, but the hostile environment that comes with it. That is exactly what the Tennessee Volunteers did, which is something they expected to do, but made official.

The Tennessee Volunteers have been haunted by a lasting streak of losses in Gainesville that dates back to 2003. That came to an end on Saturday, as the Vols defeated the Gators under a dominant performance in the first half that seemed to mellow out a bit in the second half. The Vols walked away with a 31-11 victory in what would go down as one of the better performances that the Vols have had in recent memory when it comes to a road game.

While fans had a chance to celebrate this win, many have yet to realize that the Tennessee Vols made some history at a certain position group. The Vols made history for the first time in their program, as they eclipsed 700 receiving yards with three receivers. This is the first time that this has ever been done.

The leading receiver for the Vols this season is Chris Brazzell. Brazzell has 926 yards on the season at this point. He also has 8 touchdowns to show at this point in the season. He is an outside receiver who has tortured some defenses this year, which has led to him being the primary focus of any defensive coordinator’s plans and scheme. Brazzell is a semi-finalist for the Biletnikoff Award.

Another receiver who has 700 yards at this point is Braylon Staley. Staley is currently at 771 yards and 6 touchdowns. The Vols have been getting him the ball more and more, as he is the slot receiver, who has been utilized very well in this later part of the season.

The last receiver to eclipse 700 yards is Mike Matthews. Matthews is currently at 712 yards and 4 touchdowns. Sure, he is having the lesser of the seasons at this point, but at any chance he can turn it on, which is something he has shown all season long.

There are two more games left for the Vols, but one left in the regular season. If a guy like Chris Brazzell opts to leave for the Draft, he may opt out of the bowl game (just an educated guess), but guys like Matthews and Staley could very well play in both, as both guys are set to return to college next year due to eligibility issues. Neither is eligible to leave college for the draft.