Conference play begins Saturday for the Tennessee Vols as the team travels to rowdy Gainesville, Fla. to take on the No. 5 Florida Gators. The Vols will be looking to get their second victory of the season after following up a season opening loss to California with a 39-19 victory over Southern Miss last week.

Coach Philip Fulmer believes that both early tests play into the Vols favor this week.

"I do think that playing two tough opponents will help us," Fulmer said. "Certainly, we're going into an environment at Florida Field that is considerably different than even Cal was, which I think helped us."

While the Vols were playing tough opponents, Florida opened the year with contests against Western Kentucky and Troy and has yet to face a team that provides a true test for a very inexperienced, yet talented, defense.

"Offensively, we'll have to do a great job of managing their two outstanding defensive ends, (Derrick) Harvey and (Jermaine) Cunningham...They lost a lot of people, but you sure can't tell it from watching the tape."

Defense was a concern going into fall practice for the Gators, especially in the secondary where they lost safety Reggie Nelson and others to the NFL.

The key to the rivalry between the Vols and Gators has been the success of the running game, as 15 of the past 17 match-ups have been won by the team with more rushing yards. Fulmer, naturally, would like to establish the run game this week and get physical with the Gators.

"The running game, as I said, is crucial. You go back and see that the team that has rushed the best has won the most games," Fulmer said. "We are working diligently to continue to find our balance from an offensive standpoint. I thought the second half of the Southern Miss game was more like we would like to look"

The biggest question mark for the Vols has not been the offense, however, as the defense has struggled in the season's opening two games. After giving up 471 total yards against Cal, 230 of which came on the ground, Tennessee once again came out flat against Southern Miss giving up 16 points and over 250 yards in the first half.

"We've got to tackle well," said Fulmer. "We've got to play good assignment football because of the potential for the option and the other things that we will see."

The key to the option, and the entire Florida offense, will be quarterback Tim Tebow who was a main contributor to the victory over the Vols last season in Knoxville.

"Their offense centers on their outstanding quarterback, (Tim) Tebow," Fulmer said. "He is a really special football player, a big guy that can run and throw it."

On the injury front, starting cornerback Antonio Gaines will miss the rest of the season for the Vols after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament against Southern Miss.

After starting against Southern Miss at safety freshman phenom Eric Berry will move back to his natural position to replace Gaines, while Jarod Parrish will return to the starting line-up at safety. The coaching staff has also elected to give freshman Brent Vinson some time in the secondary to go along with his receiver duties.

"In Brent's (Vinson) case, we made the decision on Sunday after we found out about Antonio Gaines, to play him both ways. He has considerable background in the secondary, and we worked him there quite a bit in camp," Fulmer said.

The Vols lead the all time series against Florida 19-17, but the Gators hold an 8-5 at home. The action gets underway Saturday at 3:30 on CBS.