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For two straight seasons now, the Gators have rallied late to beat the Vols and win by exactly one point. Florida’s 28-27 win over Tennessee on Saturday was especially devastating because UF didn’t have the better game plan. It didn’t win the series’ all-important rushing battle. It didn’t have the best player on the field that game (Josh Dobbs). It didn’t have the extra motivation of a school that had lost 10 straight to its bitter rival.
But the Gators did have the only thing that matters: a seemingly endless supply of big plays. Here’s a closer look at Florida’s incredible win:
5 TAKEAWAYS
- Grier gets it done: Take a moment to digest this: Florida won a big game behind big plays in the passing game. That, in and of itself, is a very refreshing phrase for Gator fans. Now Grier has just as many, if not more, negatives to take away from his performance. He’s got to start stepping into throws instead of throwing them off his back foot, he’s got to learn to throw the ball away and he can’t stare down receivers. Still, Grier was 11-for-17 for 141 yards and two touchdowns in the final two drives (including 3-for-3, 89 yards, TD on fourth downs on those drives). Overall, Grier made mistakes that a typical redshirt freshman would make, but he also made plays that a typical redshirt freshman couldn’t make.
- Rushing battle: Well, so much for the whole “whoever wins the rushing battle wins the game” theory. Tennessee dominated that department, outgaining the Gators 254-109. Dobbs and Jalen Hurd both finished with over 100 yards and found holes for most of the game. The problem is, the Vols relied solely on running and got away from mixing in some creativity, a recipe that was cooking Florida.
- The streak: Leading up to the game, Tennessee coach Butch Jones heard all about Florida’s 10-game win streak in the series. He dismissed it as something that us in the media can talk about. Guess what? It’s something Florida coach Jim McElwain can talk about, too, and I’m sure he tells every recruit about it. He even alluded to it in the postgame press conference by saying, “You know, you just don’t lose to Tennessee, and they (his players) didn’t.”
- Deja vu for Vols: A 16-play, 70-yard TD drive put the Vols up 27-14 and served to do what UT couldn’t vs. Oklahoma: put the game away. Instead, the Gators answered with a 17-play, 86-yard TD drive before Antonio Callaway’s 63-yard catch and run for a score. A second two-touchdown lead squandered in the fourth quarter really drew the ire of Vols fans.
- Butch Jones head-scratcher: Up 26-14 after Jalen Hurd’s touchdown run early in the fourth, the Vols decided to kick the extra point instead of attempt a 2-point conversion. Of course, the point turned out to be the most important one of all. Jones mentioned after the game that the coaches have a chart that maps out the scenarios and helps them decide whether to go for two. The only reason I can think of to value a sure 13-point lead over a possible 14-point lead is in case the other team scores a touchdown and two field goals, but that scenario seemed unlikely.
REPORT CARD
Offense: A- — At times, you wondered if the Gators should just kneel on first, second and third down just so they could get to fourth down and make plays. Florida is 10-for-10 on fourth downs this season. Just to put that into perspective, there are only six other teams in the FBS that are also perfect on fourth downs, and they’re a combined 13-for-13. The unit came through when it mattered. Kelvin Taylor had 19 carries, 102 yards, two TDs and four different receivers had at least five catches and about 50 yards. But going 3-for-15 on third downs and averaging just 3.9 yards per rush is not ideal.
Defense: C — The defense couldn’t stop Tennessee’s running game, spearheaded by Dobbs (18 carries, 136 yards) and Hurd (28 carries, 102 yards, two touchdowns). That was mainly due to some really poor tackling. Too often times the defenders were going for the big hit instead of wrapping up, and that’s not a smart thing to do when facing two gifted runners like them. The unit allowed two trick plays (a double pass and a jump pass) that put the Gators in a tough spot. UF also allowed UT to convert almost half (7 of 16) of third downs.
Special Teams: B- — Both teams performed somewhat equally on special teams except for Aaron Medley missing the potential game-winning 55-yard field goal. Other than that, the punters were both phenomenal. Johnny Townsend downed 3 of 7 punts inside the Vols’ 20-yard line and he posted a long of 61 yards. But the Gators weren’t very good with returning kicks or covering kicks.
Coaching: B+ — McElwain was outcoached in the first half, but he made great adjustments in the second. The biggest problem was Dobbs, who had 107 rushing at the break but only finished with 136. Offensively, Florida dialed up the right plays on fourth downs. And it was a good thing McElwain called a timeout on the first field goal attempt because he said Florida had 12 men on the field, and there’s a strong chance that would’ve drawn a flag to make for a much easier game-winning kick.
Overall: B- — The Gators did exactly enough to win the game. They cleaned up the penalties, committing four that went for 25 yards. Meanwhile, Kelvin Taylor was steady throughout the game and the ball was spread around to multiple receivers. With that said, this grade may be a little generous, but it’s hard not to give some weight to the fact that Florida made every big play it needed to in high-pressure situations.
GAME PLAN
Offensively, Florida’s plan revolved around giving Kelvin Taylor the ball, and giving him enough of a load that backups Jordan Cronkrite and Jordan Scarlett wouldn’t even get a carry when it was all said and done. The Gators’ plan on defense in the early going was to get pressure on Dobbs and fly to the football. That was working early on as Florida fed off its home crowd, but Tennessee put the UF defense back on its heels with the help of some trick plays. Then, Tennessee started dictating the game with its own plan by finding holes for Dobbs to run through. In the second half, the Vols relied on the run game too much, while also bringing less pressure on defense. That conservative approach gave the Gators an opportunity to come back.
GAME BALLS
- QB Will Grier: The redshirt freshman finished 23 of 42 passing, 283 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. He has to work on aforementioned fundamentals and a more accurate deep ball. However, he showed poise down the stretch, he spread the ball around and he made things happen by extending plays.
- Antonio Callaway: The true freshman made the play of the game. He took Grier’s pass and immediately turned it upfield, calling for a block from Brandon Powell and riding the sideline 63 yards for the winning score.
- DB Keanu Neal: The junior simply played at a higher gear than any other Gator defender and was always around the football. The aggressive defensive back, who seems to have characteristics of a linebacker, recorded a team-high 13 tackles and a forced fumble, which the Gators recovered.
INJURY UPDATE
- Vernon Hargreaves seemed to suffer from a lower back injury that kept him out for a few plays in the first half. CBS’ sideline reporter mentioned that he had taken some muscle relaxers for the injury, but he managed to come back and play the rest of the game. No other major injuries were reported.
Born and raised in Gainesville, Talal joined SDS in 2015 after spending 2 years in Bristol as an ESPN researcher. Previously, Talal worked at The Gainesville Sun.
