An emotional week comes to an emotional climax beginning at 8 tonight.

When No. 7-ranked Florida visits No. 13 Tennessee, the crescendo will conclude with one team taking a step up the SEC East ladder.

"We’ve had a really good week of preparation considering some of the emotional ups and downs we had earlier in the week," UT coach Phillip Fulmer said after Friday afternoon’s walkthrough at Neyland Stadium.

Senior defensive tackle Justin Harrell will play his final game at UT despite a ruptured left bicep. Cornerback Inky Johnson will be in the pressbox despite a stint at UT Medical Center earlier this week to correct damage in upper extremities suffered against Air Force.

Emotions are always at a peak when the Gators play the Vols. Fulmer’s counting on execution to match the emotional ebbs and flows.

"They’re all big and it’s a similar feeling when we were getting ready for Cal," Fulmer said of the Vols’ 35-18 season-opening victory. "The fact that we’ve played a couple of tough teams, maybe a little tougher (than Florida), might be an edge if you’re looking for one."

Ainge Not Alone: Fulmer has been ecstatic with the progress of junior quarterback Erik Ainge, but he wants to make it clear it’s not a one-man show on offense.

"We’ve got a quarterback who has done some good things, but he hasn’t done that by himself," Fulmer said. "A whole bunch of receivers have made him look good and worked hard.

"The offensive line had to protect and (Erik) has done his job. I’m really proud of that."

Angry Defense?: Fulmer is looking for a little better night from his defense than he saw last week against Air Force.

The Falcons put up some big rushing numbers against a Vols’ defense that prides itself on slowing the run.

"If they’re not (angry), they should have been," Fulmer said of his defense. "We went right back to work on Florida and made the adjustments we needed to make from an injury standpoint.

"We need to have an effort that’s equal to or superior to the one we had against Cal because I think Florida’s a better team than Cal was."

Florida WRs Big Concern: Dallas Baker has 13 catches for 204 yards and two TDs for the Gators. Percy Harvin has seven catches for 132 yards and one score.

That’s almost as prolific as UT’s wide receiver combo of Robert Meachem (13 catches, 297, 4 TDs) and Jayson Swain (8 catches, 139, 2 TDs).

"They’ve got great receivers," Fulmer said. "They get the ball in space to those guys and we’ve got to have 11 guys chasing the guy with the football."

Big Concern Part II: The Gators have one of the best, most experienced defensive lines in the SEC.

Defensive tackles Marcus Thomas (6-3, 296) and Joe Cohen (6-2, 296) are seniors. Defensive end Ray McDonald (6-3, 280) is another senior and the other end is junior Jarvis Moss (6-6, 251).

"Their defensive front, we’ve got to find a way to manage those guys," Fulmer said. "They have three guys who will be in the NFL next year and one guy, who if he chooses to come out early, will be in the NFL."

Wilhoit Makes Good Works Team: UT senior placekicker James Wilhoit has been named to the 2006 American Football Coaches Association Good Works Team.

Eleven players nationwide were selected for the Division I honor.

"It never ceases to amaze me to see the contributions student-athletes make to their communities," AFCA Executive Director Grant Teaff said in a press release. "Often times, these young men are better known for the good things they do on the field.

"The AFCA is proud to recognize these student-athletes for the good things they do in their communities."

Wilhoit has turned in more than 250 hours of community service, including the East Tennessee Children’s Hospital telethon and Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.

Other SEC players selected were South Carolina’s William Brown, Georgia’s Quentin Moses and Kentucky’s Jacob Tamme.

Tusculum’s Glen Black was chosen for the combined Division I-AA, II, III and NAIA team.

Role Reversal: Offensive lineman David Ligon said UT’s offense is prepared to help UT’s defense this season if need be tonight.

"We know as an offense that maybe we’ll have to carry the load like the defense did last year," the senior said.

Ligon knows he’ll have an extremely tough assignment this week. McDonald played well against UT in 2004. He also was a consistent force against the Vols last season before suffering a knee injury.

"McDonald is extremely quick," Ligon said. "He has great feet. One of his best moves is the spin move. You really have to keep separation on him and keep your hands up."

Shining Bright: UT receivers coach Trooper Taylor said Austin Rogers’ confidence has grown since securing his first college start against Air Force. Still, there is room for improvement for the sophomore receiver.

"He has a hard time making people miss," Taylor said with a chuckle. "He will catch it and he will plant a tree."

The speedy Rogers, who is nicknamed "Sunshine", has a quick retort to such criticism.

"He said ‘My move is all speed coach,’ ’’ Taylor said, recalling his comeback.

Dave Hooker contributed to this report.