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As far as the 11-straight losses that Florida has doled to Tennessee, this one might sting the worst for the Volunteers.
Tennessee was in control for the better part of 57 minutes in Week 4 against the Gators, but once again failed to hold a late lead, losing 28-27 in Gainesville. The loss is a devastating one for a Volunteer team that falls to 2-2 (0-1 SEC).
The loss to Florida not only puts Tennessee in a hole in the SEC East, but it’s also leading Volunteer nation to question the future of Butch Jones — who is now 6-15 against Big Five schools — in Knoxville.
5 TAKEAWAYS
- The Tennessee defense bends late in games…and then breaks. The Volunteers failed to put away Florida in the fourth quarter, drudging up fresh memories of the Vols’ late-collapse against Oklahoma in Week 2. Tennessee was excellent on third downs, holding the Gators to 3 of 15 on third down. The problem, however, was stopping Will Grier and the Florida offense on fourth down. The Gators converted all five of their attempts, including the game-winning touchdown on fourth-and-14 which went for 63 yards from Grier to Antonio Callaway with 1:26 remaining. The most telling stat during the Volunteers’ 11-game losing streak to Florida? Tennessee has never won the turnover battle between the two schools.
- Joshua Dobbs finally had the game that Tennessee needed from the junior. The Volunteer quarterback led the Volunteers in passing (83 yards), rushing (136 yards) and, even, receiving (58 yards for a touchdown). Despite the numbers, Dobbs and the Vols’ offense went dormant in the fourth quarter. Their three-and-out with 2:18 remaining gave the ball back to Florida who eventually punched it in for the game-winner. Dobbs also had a dubious three fumbles, losing one of them. It should be noted that his 29-yard rush was the longest running play for Tennessee during their 11-game losing streak to Florida.
- If games were only 30 minutes, Tennessee would be among the best teams in the nation. The Volunteers led Florida at the half for the first time since Tennessee last won in Gainesville in 2003. The difference between Butch Jones’ squad in the first half versus the second half was the play-calling. Tennessee was aggressive in the first half using several gadget plays — a halfback pass to quarterback Dobbs and a RB Alan Kamara jump-pass on fourth-and-one — all which set up scores and was the difference in the Vols’ 17-10 halftime lead. Offensive Coordinator Mike DeBord’s play-calling in the second half, however, failed to generate enough offense, eliciting the same “conservative” label as in the loss to the Sooners.
- Tennessee completed 12 passes to eight different receivers, yet Dobbs still led the team in receiving. The Vols passing game is almost non-existent. Tight end Ethan Wolf was the non-quarterback to lead Tennessee, hauling in just 45 yards. Wolf and Kamara each caught three passes, otherwise no one else caught more than one.
- The Volunteer defense experienced de ja vu against Florida with a visceral flashback to Week 2 against Oklahoma. Tennessee lost hybrid DL/LB and defensive leader Curt Maggitt against the Sooners, only to see the same scenario play out against the Gators as star DL Derek Barnett went down with an apparent knee injury with Tennessee, again, leading at the time. Just like in Week 2, the opposition took advantage of the absence of one of the Vols’ top players and ripped their hearts out late.
REPORT CARD
Offense: C — If we’re grading on the first half, Tennessee gets an A+ for their rushing dominance and creativity. Games are 60 minutes, however, and the Vols failed to advance the ball late in the game, which helped lead to their demise.
Defense: D+ — This might be a harsh grade, but the Tennessee defense once again failed to lock down a victory in a game’s final moments. They surrendered 109 yards rushing and a modest 283 yards passing. But the unit gave up several big plays in crunch time.
Special Teams: C — The Volunteers special teams was mediocre against Florida. Kicker Aaron Medley hit two of his three attempts for 34 and 37 yards, but missed the potential game-winning 55-yard kick as time expired. But by-in-large, the special teams were quite pedestrian.
Coaching: C- — Butch Jones’ play calling will continue to be questioned, after the Volunteers took their foot off the proverbial pedal and allowed Florida to come back and win. The team stats are nearly identical. The Vols, however, lacked fire and execution when it mattered most.
Overall: C – — Another tough loss is hard to swallow in Knoxville. Tennessee looked like world-beaters for a majority of the game, but proved they lack the killer instinct to close out teams.
GAME PLAN
Butch Jones’ game plan was to keep the ball on the ground while using what the Tennessee head coach described as “momentum” plays, aka trick plays, to build a steady flow to his offense. It worked during the first half as quarterback Josh Dobbs rushed for more than 100 yards and the Vols built a 17-7 lead at the half. The rushing game continued early in the second half, but quickly turned sour as Jones and Debord started throwing the ball more. All told Jones and Tennessee rushed 51 times to just 19 passing plays. Expect plenty of questions about his play calling to plague Jones for the rest of the year.
GAME BALLS
QB Joshua Dobbs: For most of the game, Tennessee quarterback Joshua Dobbs was the team’s leading rusher and receiver…but not passer. Dobbs had the breakout game the Volunteers have been waiting for this season, finishing with 136 yards rushing, 83 passing, 58 receiving, and a receiving touchdown.
RB Jalen Hurd: Jalen Hurd shook off a slow start to finish with 102 yards rushing and 2 touchdowns. Tennessee’s leading rusher pounded in scores of 1 and 10 yards, the latter putting the Vols up 27-14 with roughly 10 minutes left in the game.
WR Jauan Jennings: Jauan Jennings earns a game ball for his play on offense and on special teams. The freshman wide receiver connected with QB Josh Dobbs for a 58-yard touchdown on a gadget play touchdown to start the Volunteers’ scoring. Jennings made a big solo tackle on a kick-return with about 10 minutes left to play in the game, pinning the Gators inside their 15 yard line.
INJURY UPDATE
- Tennessee fans held their breath as Derek Barnett sat on the turf with what initially looked like a knee injury, caused when his own teammate rolled into the Vols’ star defensive lineman. With Curt Maggitt already out of the lineup with a hip injury, Tennessee was without two DL’s that combined for 20 sacks last season. Trainers wrapped Barnett in a knee brace and the junior was able to jog lightly on the sidelines. He had 3 tackles, including a tackle-for-loss, before exiting the game. Barnett returned late in the game and forced a near tackle-for-loss. Unfortunately, Florida scored the go-ahead touchdown on the ensuing play.
- Tennessee reinstated defensive lineman Danny O’Brien for the Florida game, but the redshirt junior clearly hasn’t earned his way back to the travel roster, yet, after missing the last two games for a violation of team rules. O’Brien had 4.5 tackles-for-loss last year and tallied a two tackles, including a sack, in Week 1 against Bowling Green.
- Reserve running back Robert Abernathy IV was ruled out against Florida after being listed as questionable throughout the week.
Chris Wuensch is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers South Carolina and Tennessee.
