If Florida wanted to get Tennessee's attention, consider the Gators' mission accomplished.

"We've already got two or three things they've been saying on our board," sophomore tailback Montario Hardesty said Tuesday. "They're just giving us more motivation."

The motivation started with an amusing metaphor relayed during Monday's media day in Gainesville. Florida strong safety Tony Joiner said the Gators "really want to go in somebody else's house and take their cheese. Make a sandwich in the kitchen."

As odd as it may have been, the message was clear. Joiner and friends are hungry to take control of the UT-Florida game at Neyland Stadium on Saturday.

"Anybody that comes in your house and says, 'Look I'm taking this over,' I don't think many people would stand for that," UT senior offensive lineman Michael Frogg said. "I'm hoping we come out and prove to everyone that we know what to do."

The Vols refused to return verbal fire during UT's weekly media session on Tuesday, even when told Joiner said he believed that Florida could shut UT out.

"That's just talk," Hardesty said. "I don't want to give them any bulletin material to put on their boards because they gave it to us. It that's how they feel, that's how they feel."

Frogg echoed earlier sentiments this week. UT is best suited to an underdog role.

"You take it as a bit of a challenge," said Frogg, whose Vols are a three to four point underdog. I really like somebody to say, 'You can't do this.' "

Frogg knows the UT-Florida rivalry. The Kingston native has been around the series long enough. For him, trash talking is just a matter of personal preference.

"If you want to talk about it and go out and do it, that's A-OK," Frogg said. "If you don't want to talk about it and you get it done, that's fine and dandy.

"No matter how much talking there is on Monday and Tuesday, it all comes down to what happens on Saturday night."

UT offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe couldn't agree more.

"I think once the game has started, there's a lot of intensity," Cutcliffe said. "People are thinking about a lot of assignments.

"I think that's (trash talking) all just pre-game hype that occurs in a lot of big ball games."