3 takeaways from Tennessee’s incredible OT win over Florida

No. 8 Tennessee was supposed to cruise to a home victory over an unranked Florida team. Yes, it was a rivalry game, but the Gators haven’t looked good very much so far through 5 games.

However, no one passed that message along to Billy Napier, Graham Mertz and the Gators. They were unfazed by a trip to Rocky Top, taking a shocking 3-0 lead into halftime.

That halftime lead was built largely on the backs of the Florida defense, as the offense had its struggles. It’s fair to say the Gators probably should have had a 10-0 or even a 17-0 advantage at the intermission.

That’s not what happened, though. Ultimately, those points left on the board led to some struggles in the second half.

Finally, in the third quarter, the Vols were able to break through. Though Florida scored a touchdown, Dylan Sampson also found the end zone. By the time the fourth quarter started, it was 10-10.

Sampson was a man on a mission. He couldn’t be stopped as he led the Vols to an impressive 23-17 overtime win over the rival Gators.

Here are our 3 biggest takeaways from Saturday’s matchup between Florida and Tennessee:

1. There are some serious problems with Tennessee’s offense

The Vols scored 0 points in the first half on Saturday night against the Gators. That’s … well, that’s not great. And that’s also not what we’ve come to expect from a Josh Heupel offense.

Yes, Dylan Sampson and company kicked it up a notch in the second half, putting 17 points on the board heading into the game’s final drive.

(Side note: Sampson is absolutely incredible. The Vols would be lost without him.)

Sampson scored all 3 touchdowns for the Vols in the 23-17 victory. He continues to be perhaps the best running back in a Power 4 conference (Ashton Jeanty of Boise State deserves the top spot across the FBS ranks). But if Nico Iamaleava and the rest of the Tennessee offense can’t figure things out soon, there will be losses coming in the near future.

2. Graham Mertz is a warrior

If the Gators were an NFL team, I’d want them to turn the offense over to DJ Lagway to see what the freshman has and build toward the future. But college isn’t the NFL. Graham Mertz is on his last season of college eligibility. He can’t transfer. This year is all he’s got left in the college game.

That’s why I don’t mind that Mertz has continued to start for the Gators. And I also like watching him play. He’s an absolute warrior out on the field. He’s never afraid to lower his shoulder and pick up the extra yard.

He’s also a pretty darn good quarterback and has never quit on this team. It’s unfortunate that he suffered an apparent non-contact leg injury on this TD pass to TE Arlis Boardingham:

Florida QB Graham Mertz throws the TD pass, but grabs his leg in pain after play, was visibly upset hobbling to sideline

That’s not good pic.twitter.com/nRMfAHIhGd

— Trey Wallace (@TreyWallace_) October 13, 2024

Let’s hope he’s able to return this year. It would be a shame if this is the last we get to see of Graham Mertz in the college football ranks.

3. Billy Napier is playing scared

I love that the Gators went for the win after scoring a touchdown on a pass to Chim Dike. Oh wait … they lined up in a formation to go for it and then didn’t.

Napier called a timeout and then sent the extra point unit out onto the field to send things to overtime. At that point, Florida deserved to lose.

And the Gators did.

A field goal missed in overtime, but it wouldn’t have mattered, as Sampson and the Vols ran the ball down the Gators’ throats in OT to score a 23-17 win.

Scared money don’t make money, Napier has said in the past.

That was proven correct on Saturday night in Knoxville. Oddly, it was Napier’s crew that was playing with the scared money.

Adam Spencer

Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.