GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — DeSean Bishop ran for 116 yards and two touchdowns, including one that ended with a flip into the end zone, and No. 20 Tennessee overwhelmed rival Florida 31-11 on Saturday night to win in the Swamp for the first time since 2003.
The Volunteers (8-3, 4-3 Southeastern Conference) had dropped 10 in a row at Florida Field, one of the longest skids in series history. Although there were plenty of lopsided meetings over the years, this one could go down as the most stunning — even with the Gators (3-8, 2-6) spiraling and waiting to find out the future of Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin.
With retired coach Urban Meyer watching from the Florida sideline, the Vols scored touchdowns on their first four drives and led 31-0 at halftime. It was easily their most dominant 30 minutes of football against Florida since 1990. They outgained the Gators 323-110 in the opening half and had 19 first downs.
Florida put up little fight on defense and couldn’t seem to get out of its own way on offense.
A holding penalty negated a 42-yard completion, DJ Lagway was stuffed for no gain on a fourth-down run and Trey Smack missed a 38-yard field goal.
The Gators tried to regroup at halftime. But Jadan Baugh inadvertently signaled for a fair catch on the second-half kickoff and let the ball bounce, resulting in Florida starting at the 2-yard line.
Roughly half the home crowd left early, and no one could blame them. It was Florida’s worst home showing since trailing Missouri 42-0 in 2014.
Tennessee spent the second half in safe mode, milking the clock and trying not to give up any big plays. The Vols still finished with 248 yards rushing.
About the only late drama was whether Florida would extend the longest scoring streak in NCAA history. Smack hit a 46-yarder with 2:04 remaining in the third quarter that extended the record to 472 consecutive games.
Joey Aguilar, who reportedly has joined a lawsuit that challenges NCAA rules in hopes of gaining another year of eligibility, was effective and efficient. He completed 17 of 22 passes for 204 yards, with a touchdown to Ethan Davis on the opening drive.
The takeaway
Tennessee: The Volunteers have a chance to win their final three games and make a decent bowl. But they’ll surely be haunted by those one-score losses to Georgia and Oklahoma.
Florida: Meyer was recognized in advance of his upcoming induction into the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame and will be added to Florida’s ring of honor in 2026. He was in the locker room before the game and spoke to the team. It had little effect on how the Gators played.
Up next
Tennessee closes the regular season at home against No. 12 Vanderbilt next Saturday.
Florida ends its season back in the Swamp against rival Florida State next Saturday.
The post No. 20 Tennessee dominates Florida appeared first on AccessWdun.
