All week long, the Gators talked about the importance of putting their heartbreaking loss to No. 1 Alabama behind them and putting together another strong performance against Tennessee this week.
It was ugly at times, but they got the job done. No. 11 Florida defeated Tennessee, 38-14, on Saturday night in the Swamp.
Here is our instant recap of UF’s 16th win over the Volunteers (2-2, 0-1 SEC) in the last 17 meetings.
How the game was won
Leading just 17-14, the Gators picked up yards in huge chunks on their first drive of the second half. Quarterback Emory Jones connected with Justin Shorter for 33 yards on a go route, and he found Kemore Gamble for 13 yards.
On second-and-6 from the Tennessee 13-yard line, Jones took the snap and fired a backward pass to slot receiver Trent Whittemore. The defense collapsed on Whittemore, expecting him to run with the ball.
Instead, he lofted a perfectly thrown touchdown pass to Gamble in the back of the end zone.
The Volunteers moved the ball on their first drive of the second half, advancing 56 yards on 14 plays and taking more than six minutes off of the clock.
They converted one fourth down, but their second attempt to keep the drive alive ended when Jimmy Calloway dropped a throw from Hendon Hooker. He had a ton of room to run after the catch.
Instead, the Gators went 70 yards on eight plays. Jones completed a 13-yard pass to Rick Wells and rushed for 24, 11 and eight yards. He finished the drive with a 9-yard scoring strike to Wells to make it 31-14.
Player of the Game
Emory Jones
The redshirt junior plays better and better every time out. He completed 21 of 27 passes for 209 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for 144 yards on 15 carries. He became the first Gator with 200 passing yards and 100 rushing yards in a game since Tim Tebow against Florida State in 2009.
Perhaps most importantly, he didn’t throw an interception for the first time this season.
His strong play in the second half was a major factor in the Gators blowing the game open after a slow start.
Play of the Game
Whittemore played quarterback at times for Buchholz High School in Gainesville.
It didn’t appear that Tennessee was aware of that fact. His 13-yard toss to Gamble was the first pass of his college career, and it brought the Swamp to life after a sluggish first half.
It was the first touchdown pass for the Gators by a non-quarterback since Kadarius Toney connected with Moral Stephens for a 20-yard score at Mississippi State in 2018.
Stat of the Game
353
That’s Jones’ amount of total offense.
Jones still made some mistakes, but the second half was basically the Jones Show. The Volunteers couldn’t stop him in the running game, and he connected with some wide-open receivers to get the offense rolling.
It had been a rough start to the season at times for him, but he showed why his teammates and coaches were so high on him throughout the offseason.
Up next
The Gators (3-1, 1-1) will hit the road for the first time in conference play next week. They’ll take on Kentucky (3-0, 1-0) on Saturday at either 6 or 7.
Florida has won 33 of the last 34 meetings with the Wildcats.