GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- The Vols and Gators know the drill. Lose the game, and you play catch-up for the rest of the season.

You don't have to win the Florida-Tennessee game to win the SEC East, but it surely helps. A lot.

Since the SEC went to divisional play in 1992, the winner of the UT-Florida game has won the East nine times. The loser of the game has won two East championships.

Florida lost to the Vols in 1992 and still won the East. UT lost to the Gators in 1997 and still won the division.

Coach Phillip Fulmer probably pointed that out as soon as his Vols made it to their locker room after a 16-7 loss to the Gators on Saturday night at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

He might have reminded them of something else. As difficult as UT's schedule is, Florida's is just as challenging.

Like UT, the Gators play at LSU and Alabama. Like UT, they also have to play Georgia.

And like UT, the Gators have shortcomings. Their weaknesses just weren't as obvious as the Vols' on Saturday night.

The stadium was loud. The atmosphere, electric. But at no point in the game could anyone have thought he was watching the fifth- and sixth-best teams in the country.

Florida coach Urban Meyer lamented how ineffective his offense was. He said his offensive line hadn't played a good game yet (in three tries).

And he had the best offense on the field. Of course, that's not saying much.

You have to go back to 1981 to find a UT offense as unproductive as this one after two games. The Vols scored 17 points against UAB before struggling their way to one touchdown against the Gators. That's the least they have scored in their first two games since 1981 when they lost their opener to Georgia 44-0, and followed that up with a 43-7 defeat against Southern Cal.

Even the 1988 team, which lost its first six games, was more effective offensively. So was the 1994 team, which lost its starting quarterback on the seventh play of the season opener.

You could credit Florida's defense with much of UT's difficulties. But do you also credit UAB's defense? The same UAB team that allowed UT 17 points in the season opener defeated Jacksonville State 35-28 on Saturday. That's Division I-AA Jacksonville State.

You don't have to look hard to find a myriad of problems with the offense. You could blame the play calling and the lack of playmakers. You also could cite the uncertainty at quarterback.

Either the offensive talent on this team has been drastically overrated or it has under-achieved significantly.

At least, the offense has achieved balance. Neither its passing nor running has been up to par.

Quarterback is an obvious starting point for restoring the offense to its preseason luster. Playing two quarterbacks rarely works, and this quarterback rotation is no exception.

The Vols have tried playing both quarterbacks in each of their first two games. This just in: It's not working.

If UT loses to LSU on Saturday, that would at least solve its quarterback dilemma. With two losses in SEC play, the Vols would be virtually eliminated from the championship race and could turn the offense over to the younger, more talented Ainge.

But UT fans shouldn't assume the worst. Remember how badly the Vols looked in losing to Auburn by 24 points last September? They upset Georgia the next Saturday in Athens.

Since Phillip Fulmer became UT's head coach on a full-time basis, the Vols have lost back-to-back, regular-season games only four times (1994, 2000, 2002 and 2003). And they have lost back-to-back road games only once under Fulmer.

Sticking with one quarterback could be the first step toward again avoiding consecutive losses.

Opposing defenses pose enough problems. A quarterback shouldn't have to worry about a quick hook, too.

Based on one game, LSU presents an inviting target for any quarterback. It gave up 461 yards passing in its 35-31 opening-season victory against Arizona State. That's an encouraging statistic for a discouraged offense.

Never mind that the Vols might have a championship-caliber defense. They're playing catch-up now.

And for that, you need an offense.