1928 Tennessee-Florida: Robert Neyland, Vols defeat Gators in unbeaten December matchup

A look at the Tennessee-Florida game played on Dec. 8, 1928.

Tennessee and Florida will play on Dec. 1 during the 2020 season.

The Vols and Gators have played five times in December all-time.

On Dec. 8, 1928, Tennessee and Florida faced each other as unbeaten teams to conclude the season. It was the first meeting between the two schools in December.

Tennessee defeated the Gators, 13-12, at Shields-Watkins Field in Knoxville.

The Vols finished the 1928 campaign 9-0-1, as a scoreless tie against Kentucky was Tennessee’s only non-win that season.

Florida entered the season finale undefeated and untied. It was the first season for Charlie Bachman as the Gators’ head coach.

Bachman played at Notre Dame. He ran the Notre Dame Box offense at Florida, leading the nation in scoring with 336 points.

During game week, Tennessee head coach Robert Neyland suffered from the flu and spent a lot of time in preparation for Florida staying in bed at his 2111 Terrace Ave. home.

Photo by Dan Harralson, Vols Wire

Neyland lived there from 1927-29. The house was demolished in 2018.

Below are archives from the 1928 Tennessee-Florida game.

Knoxville News-Sentinel (Published as The Knoxville News-Sentinel) - December 4, 1928

Knoxville News-Sentinel, December 4, 1928