After losing to No. 1 Alabama in The Swamp, the Florida Gators rebounded in a huge way, scoring 28 unanswered points to defeat the Tennessee Volunteers, 38-14. With the win, along with asserting dominance in the SEC East, Florida has won eight straight against Tennessee in The Swamp.
Florida Gators
Florida rode off of a strong performance from QB Emory Jones, who had arguably his best game as a Gator. Jones completed 21 of 27 throws for 209 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for 144 yards on 15 carries. The junior became the first Gator since Tim Tebow to tally 200 yards passing and 100 yards rushing in a game.
Florida showed off its elite running game on Saturday night. In addition to Emory Jones’ impressive performance, Dameon Pierce and Malik Davis ran the ball well. Pierce had 62 yards on eight carries, and Davis had 45 yards on 10 carries.
After a slow start in the first half, Florida would pull away thanks to a trick play. Emory Jones tossed the football to WR Trent Whittemore, who threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Kemore Gamble. Florida would add another touchdown in the third quarter when Emory Jones threw a nine-yard touchdown pass to Rick Wells.
Overall, the Gators finished with 505 total yards vs. Tennessee. Florida has now eclipsed 2,000 total yards through four games for the first time since 2009 and for just the second time in the last 20 years.
Tennessee Volunteers
Hendon Hooker got the starting nod for Tennessee, and had a pretty good game, completing 13-of-23 passes for 221 yards and two touchdowns. However, Hooker got hurt in the fourth quarter. Joe Milton would be the replacement, completing 2-of-8 passes for 54 passing yards.
What haunted the Volunteers Saturday night were small mistakes. For example, Tennessee turned the ball over at Florida’s 30-yard line. In addition, kicker Chase McGrath missed a 47-yard field goal to end the half. A made field goal would have tied the game heading into the second half.
Next Up
Florida will travel to Lexington to play Kentucky next week. Meanwhile, Tennessee will travel to Columbia to play Missouri.