The Florida Gators entered the Tennessee game knowing the result would be pivotal for the remainder of the season.
A loss could’ve sent the Gators down a path of no return. 0-2 starts to the season and 0-1 starts in the SEC make for a very long road to salvaging a good year. It was becoming increasingly clear that a loss to a below average Tennessee team could be the start of a season where Florida would have to fight just to become bowl eligible.
The Gators needed to find a win in any way, shape or form on Saturday.
After watching what was possibly the ugliest three quarters of college football between any two teams in 2017, no one expected it to end the way it did. Momentum swung back and forth in the final quarter, but a 63-yard Hail Mary from Feleipe Franks to Tyrie Cleveland in the final seconds would close out a 26-20 win for Florida.
“It was a very thrilling game,” said senior running back Mark Thompson. “We’re happy that we won, everyone is, and we got to keep going strong.”
That type of play by the offense to secure a huge win was just what the doctor ordered for the Gators. This is a team still trying to find itself and a team with a lot of room for improvement, but for now, it is riding a high heading into the Kentucky game next weekend. The Gators had their strongest offensive performance against the Wildcats last year, and now have the confidence they can carry their momentum into Lexington and do it again.
“We have a lot confidence coming out of this win,” said Cleveland. “I feel like we’re going to come out against Kentucky next week and leave it all out on the field. Play hard, play fast and give it our all.”
While the momentum from a huge play in a game like that can carry over to the next game, it will only take a team so far. The high will soon fade and it will come back down to how Florida prepares in practice this week.
There is a lot to work on. Both the offense and the defense will need to take a long look in the mirror.
For the defense, missed tackles continue to be its Achilles heel. For the offense, everything must improve. One big play and a few other decent plays scattered throughout the last two games do not make up for seven and a half pathetic quarters of play.
“We focus on the negatives,” said sophomore defensive back Chauncey Gardner. “Zeroing them down, and then work on the positives. We always build on the positives. Missed tackles, a lot of things out of our control. We need to wrap those up.”
The remainder of the season still has to play out, and the Gators still have a lot to prove, but the Tennessee game is much more than an opening win in conference play. It is a spark.
Florida was on the verge of heading sideways in a hurry, and it desperately needed that spark. Now, things are wide open.
After the first three weeks of play, the SEC looks to have taken a step back. It’s Alabama and everyone else in the West again, and the East is anyone’s for the taking. Florida sees a real possibility to take that opportunity and get back to Atlanta for a third straight year.
“I hope it gives us momentum and teaches us to never quit,” said sophomore linebacker David Reese. “I hope it gives us the belief that we can, and should, be back to win the SEC East.”