Gainesville, FL – No. 20 Tennessee Vols football team struck first and never looked back, earning a 31-11 victory over rival Florida Saturday night under the lights of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. With the victory, Tennessee recorded its first win in Gainesville since 2003.
UT snapped a 10-game skid in the Swamp and secured back-to-back wins in the series for the first time since 2003-04. The Vols also tied the largest margin of victory in 23 road meetings against Florida, equaling the previous 20-0 triumph in 1955.
Redshirt sophomore running back DeSean Bishop delivered a standout performance, toting a career-high 24 carries for 116 yards with two touchdowns to pace the rushing attack. Senior quarterback Joey Aguilar was efficient in the win, completing 17-of-22 passes for 204 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. His top target was redshirt sophomore tight end Ethan Davis, who earned his second start of the season and finished with five catches for 72 yards and a touchdown in the victory.
Tennessee (8-3, 4-3 SEC) came out firing on all cylinders, stacking touchdowns on each of its first four possessions to seize control from the opening whistle. The Big Orange set the tone with a crisp nine-play, 75-yard march, capped by Aguilar’s 23-yard strike to Davis for a quick 7-0 lead. After the UT defense forced a three-and-out, the Vols wasted no time doubling their advantage with a seven-play, 60-yard drive punctuated by a one-yard plunge from Bishop.
Bishop kept the momentum rolling on the next series, powering in his second one-yard score of the night to finish a methodical 12-play, 67-yard drive that made it 21-0 with 13:08 left in the first half. Star Thomas delivered the fourth straight touchdown with a one-yard burst, set up by his own electric 52-yard sprint to the goal line on 3rd-and-17, to give UT a 28-0 edge with 9:14 remaining in the second stanza.
Max Gilbert closed the half drilling a 26-yard field goal through the uprights, and Tennessee entered the halftime locker room with a 31-0 lead in the Swamp.
Florida (3-8, 2-6 SEC) broke up the shutout when Trey Smack converted a 46-yard field goal try with 2:04 remaining in the third quarter. The Gators added a touchdown on a 33-yard connection from DJ Lagway to Jadan Baugh in the fourth quarter, and connected on a two-point conversion with 8:15 left in the contest to cut the lead to 31-11. Neither team scored for the rest of the game as UT knocked off the Gators in wire-to-wire fashion.
Defensively, junior linebacker Jeremiah Telander led the UT Vols with 10 total tackles. Four players combined for six tackles for loss in the victory, with senior defensive end Tyre West pacing the group with two solo TFLs.
