GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Tennessee's Eric Westmoreland has never been to The Swamp that is Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field, but the multi-dimensional linebacker is brimming with confidence anyway, anxious to make a difference.

Westmoreland will be key in Saturday night's showdown at Florida. The Vols will try to snap a six-game losing streak against the Gators in Gainesville that dates back to 1971.

A year ago, Westmoreland found himself on crutches the day beforen one of the biggest games in his life.

"It was a helpless feeling," Westmoreland said. "I'll never forget it."

All had gone so well for UT the week leading up to last year's Florida game. The coaches and players were doing and saying all the right things and preparation was crisp. After losing five in a row to their SEC East rivals, the Vols were ready to turn it around.

But when Wednesday afternoon's practice came to a screeching halt, with Westmoreland clutching his ankle, it seemed the curse of the Gators had returned.

"It was terrible," said Vols coach Phillip Fulmer. "He stepped on somebody's foot."

Westmoreland remembers reporting to the Neyland-Thompson Sports Center at 9 p.m. Thursday night. He didn't leave until 8 the next morning.

In between, Vols' trainer Mike Rollo said Westmoreland's sprained right ankle was exposed to ice, heat, compression, electronic stimulation, ultrasound and the whirlpool.

"It seemed like they woke me up every hour," said Westmoreland, who gimped to his Friday morning communication class on crutches. "There wasn't much sleep."

It wasn't like UT defensive coordinator John Chavis was having sweet dreams, either.

Westmoreland, the Vols' strongside, or "Sam," linebacker is arguably the most important player on defense against Florida's Fun n' Gun scheme. Westmoreland's ability to cover wide receivers as well as he plays the run gives the UT defense a great amount of freedom.

"He's such a special player for us," Fulmer said. "It was touch and go, and then he went out and played great for us."

The decision to play Westmoreland wasn't made until the Vols' took the field for pre-game warmups.

"I still wasn't sure when I first went out there," Westmoreland said. "I'd done some light jogging during our walk-through, and then before the game they tested how I could move laterally. Finally, I felt at full speed."

Westmoreland had three tackles, one for a loss, and spent the majority of the game covering Florida receiver Nafis Karim. Karim had two catches for 27 yards.

Westmoreland emerged as the season unfolded, finishing second with 79 tackles while recording a team-high 11 tackles for loss. Westmoreland, or "E-Mo," as he's known to teammates, won the Nationwide Express Quality Award as the most fundamentally sound player on defense last season.

Westmoreland got off to a fast start this season with six tackles and two fumble recoveries, one of which he returned 18 yards for a touchdown.

(Mike Griffith writes for The Knoxville News-Sentinel in Tennessee.)