Connect with us

Travel

How Hurricane Milton could affect Tennessee football vs. Florida as Category 5 storm approaches

Published

4 hours ago

on

How Hurricane Milton could affect Tennessee football vs. Florida as Category 5 storm approaches

Florida’s preparations and travel for its game at Tennessee football in Knoxville could be affected by Hurricane Milton, Gators coach Billy Napier said Monday.

Napier said that “several discussions” took place Sunday and Monday regarding the potential effects of the hurricane.

“We are ready to adjust,” Napier said.

The No. 9 Vols (4-1, 1-1 SEC) host Florida (3-2, 1-1) on Saturday (7 p.m. ET, ESPN) at Neyland Stadium. UT won the most recent meeting against Florida in Knoxville 38-33 in September 2022.

Florida football operating with normal schedule before facing Vols

Napier indicated that Florida anticipated working with a normal schedule Monday and Tuesday. From there, the schedule is less certain, with the Category 5 storm rolling across the Gulf of Mexico.

“I think one thing I have learned — I have lived in some places that deal with this type of weather consistently — is that you play it six or 12 hours at a time,” Napier said. “You are ready. You build out Plan A, Plan B and Plan C. We did that (Sunday).”

Milton is expected to reach Florida’s West Coast on Wednesday. Sustained winds have reached 175 mph and the storm strengthened from a Category 2 to Category 5 in a matter of hours Monday.

Florida likely will travel to Tennessee on Friday, which follows a typical travel schedule for an away game. 

Billy Napier, Florida leaning on operations staff with Hurricane Milton prep

Napier, who is in his third season at Florida, praised the football operations staff, headed by director of operations Joshua Thompson. He stressed the Gators will rely on the operations crew as well as Florida’s University Athletic Association. 

“I think we have really good people there,” Napier said. “We will be fine.”

The West Coast of Florida was affected in late September by Hurricane Helene, which also devastated parts of East Tennessee and Western North Carolina. 

HELP: How Tennessee football’s Dayne Davis helped community after Helene devastated East Tennessee

Florida football is on two-game winning streak after 1-2 start

The Gators have won back-to-back games against Mississippi State and UCF. They beat the Bulldogs 45-28 on Sept. 21, then edged UCF 24-13 on Oct. 5 after an open week.

UF opened the season 1-2 with a 41-17 loss to Miami. It also lost 33-20 to Texas A&M in its SEC opener on Sept. 14.

Florida beat Samford 45-7 on Sept. 7.

Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading