No. 20 Tennessee dominates Florida, picks up elusive win in Gainesville

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Consider The Swamp drained. No. 20 Tennessee took out over two decades of frustration and futility at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Saturday night, demolishing Florida 31-11. It was the program's first win in Gainesville since 2003, a victory spearheaded by California native Casey Clausen at quarterback. Fellow Californian Joey Aguilar had the Vols offense humming early to start the onslaught. "A lot was made before we came down here about the streak," Vols head coach Josh Heupel said. "I'm proud of our guys' preparation to give themselves a chance to come down here and win. A good night for Tennessee." Tennessee (8-3, 4-3 SEC) got the ball to start the evening and proceeded to march 75 yards in nine plays. Tight end Ethan Davis, starting in place of injured Miles Kitselman, was featured heavily in the drive, capped off the drive with a 23-yard receiving touchdown. Aguilar finished his day 17-of-22 through the air for 204 yards and the early touchdown. Davis caught five of those passes for 72 yards. The Vols' defense turned around and stymied the Gators (3-8, 2-6), forcing a three-and-out with the help of a Florida holding penalty. From there, Tennessee was off to the races. A DeSean Bishop one-yard leap over the line of scrimmage put the Vols up 14-0, then he did the same thing in the other end zone early in the second quarter to assert UT's dominance in the first half. Tim Banks' defense was keeping up their end of the bargain to start the rout, as well. In the first quarter, the Vols only allowed Florida to gain one total yard of offense. After the second Bishop score, Jeremiah Telander and Jalen McMurray were up to task on a Gators' 4th-and-short to turn the hosts over on downs. Tennessee took advantage of the shorter field, but found itself on the good side of fortunate bounces to do so. A strip sack of Joey Aguilar was nearly scooped up and taken the other way, but the Vols fell on it. Then, Star Thomas carried the ball near the one, and was down just before he lost the ball. The Duke transfer finished the job off on the next play to give UT a 28-0 lead. "First half, we started and played the way we're capable of – at a high level," Heupel said. "All in all, I liked the competitive edge in all three phases. Playing smart, physical football and playing together." Florida's offense finally showed signs of life late in the second quarter, getting into the red zone after starting a drive on its own six-yard line. However, Tennessee's defense bulled up and forced a field goal try that was missed. UT's offense took advantage of the mistake by driving 72 yards to set up a Max Gilbert chip shot as the first half expired, giving the visitors a 31-0 lead at halftime. Both teams' defenses settled into a bit of a groove until late in the third quarter, when the Gators went on a 13-play, 71-yard drive. But, they had to settle for a 46-yard field goal, which got them on the board. It extended Florida's NCAA record of 472 games without being shutout. The run dates back to 1988, when the last shutout loss for the Gators came against Auburn. Still, it was far too little, too late, as the clock was Tennessee's biggest ally in the second half. The Vols ate up 5:20 of game time on a drive that resulted in a missed 50-yard field goal. While no points were on the board, the march limited possessions for the rest of the night. The Gators did eventually find pay dirt, though. DJ Lagway found an open Jadan Baugh open down the right sideline for a 33-yard touchdown pass. They also went for the two-point try and got it. It was for naught, as the Vols chewed all 7:11 of the remaining clock. The win is the largest for Tennessee in The Swamp since 1955, when the Vols downed the Gators 20-0. Overall the run game was strong all night long. As a team, the Vols averaged around five yards per carry on their way to 248 rushing yards. Bishop was the top runner on the night, logging 24 attempts and 116 yards. His effort came at a key moment in the season with Peyton Lewis sidelined with an injury. Up Next The Vols will conclude the regular season back at Neyland Stadium against Vanderbilt next Saturday. Florida will host in-state foe Florida State next Saturday.