It is great to be a Tennessee Vol! After years of disappointment, the Tennessee Volunteers have defeated their SEC East rival, the Florida Gators. Neyland Stadium was packed, checkered, and loud. In a game that was important for both teams, Vol Nation showed up and the team brought it home. Florida came to play and the Gators had answers to a lot of big plays but Coach Heupel’s squad reigned supreme. With outstanding performances from a number of players, this is the Tennessee-Florida recap.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71411085/usa_today_19109464.0.jpg "Recap: Tennessee vs. Florida 1")
Chess Not Checkers
Neyland may have been checkered but the Vols came in playing chess.
No matter the roster Tennessee has, the Gators always seem to win this game. Until today. The Vols showed up prepared. Even without star receiver Cedric Tillman on the field, Tennessee found a groove and made it work. The result? A 38-33 victory for the Vols, at home, against Florida. The fact that beating Florida led to the Vols’ 4-0 season is just icing on the cake.
This was a hard fought game and a heart stopping show until the very end. Tennessee started strong with a quick march down the field but fumbled before they could score. Florida capitalized on that mistake and the score quickly favored the Gators 7-3. From there, Hendon Hooker responded and the Vols pulled ahead for a 10-7 lead. The back-and-forth continued through the first half, with Hooker executing flawlessly despite some pain. He facilitated a 99 yard drive to score a touchdown just before the break at the half.
Tennessee-Florida Recap: The Studs
Once again, Hendon Hooker led the Vols offense to victory. In the air and on the ground, Hooker delivered an outstanding performance that brought the Vols their first win over Florida since 2016. Hooker finished this game 22-28 for 349 yards and two touchdowns. On the ground, Hooker added another 111 yards and another score.
Jabari Small played big. In the third quarter, Small gave the Vols a 31-21 lead, the most comfortable lead they’d held up to that point. He ran for 90 yards and one touchdown on 19 carries. Additionally, he caught three passes for 32 yards and a touchdown. After an early injury against Akron last week, Small’s status was in question for this game. But, he was confident after the first practice of the week that he could play and told Coach Heupel not to hold him back. Jabari Small has been a key player this season and tonight, he showed us why.
And then there’s Bru. The USC transfer and the Tennessee administration fought for his eligibility through the offseason, receiving clearance just days ahead of the season opener. A five-star recruit in 2019, Bru played well for USC in an abbreviated 2020 season but he missed all of 2021. Against the Gators he led the Vols with 102 receiving yards on five catches. With Cedric Tillman out this week, it was all eyes on Bru to prove himself and he rose to the occasion. Bru is the real McCoy.
Tennessee-Florida Recap: The Duds
Aside from an early fumble and some play calling that was a little bit confusing in the moment, I don’t think there’s any room to name any duds for this week. The Vols gave their all and it paid off. Tennessee showed early on that they were the better team and they continued to prove it throughout the entire game.
Did everyone play to absolute perfection? No. This isn’t Remember the Titans and there were minor mistakes that could’ve given the Vols a larger final lead, had they not been made. But in the end, this game wasn’t won on luck. The end result here is one good team’s hard work paying off to defeat another good team. And it was one hell of a show for the fans.
Honorable Mention
I’m not a Gator fan but it would be remiss of me not to mention how well QB Anthony Richardson played tonight. Richardson played a tough game and led the Gators through the ups and downs of this matchup. The Vols won and for that I celebrate, but they did not stomp the Gators. This was a hard fought battle by two talented teams, and particularly two talented quarterbacks.
But at the end of the day…GBO!
Vegas Odds
I chose not to take the spread in this game. Instead, I took the Vols moneyline and bet the under.
I won my moneyline bet, lost my bet on the under. It happens!
Looking Forward
Tennessee is on a bye week next week but after that, the Vols will take on the LSU Tigers in Tiger Stadium. Geaux Vols.
For a pre-game preview, check out the University of Tennessee on Gridiron Heroics!
