Heading in to their annual Southeastern Conference gridiron showdown, the Florida and Tennessee football teams were headed in opposite directions.
The Gators had won five consecutive games, while the Volunteers had dropped five straight contests.
The teams remained on their respective paths as Florida defeated UT, 31-19, Saturday at Neyland Stadium.
The Gators (8-1, 8-1 SEC) left Rocky Top with the SEC East division championship. Meanwhile, the Volunteers saw their struggles continue and now have lost six straight games for the first time since 1988.
Tennessee (2-6, 2-6 SEC) had a 7-3 lead after freshman quarterback Harrison Bailey, making his first career collegiate start, threw a touchdown pass to Eric Gray with 9 minutes, 59 seconds remaining in the second quarter.
After that, it was pretty much downhill for the Big Orange as Florida scored the next 21 points.
The Gators, who led 17-7 at halftime, scored two more touchdowns after the break.
Quarterback Kyle Trask had another 400-plus yard game.
He finished Saturday’s game with 433 yards and four touchdowns while completing 35 of his 49 pass attempts.
He now has a nation-leading 38 touchdown passes.
Meanwhile, the Vols used three quarterbacks against the Gators and redshirt senior Jarrett Guarantano was not one of them. He was on the sideline, but reportedly missed the game due COVID-19 contact tracing. He was one of several players to miss the game.
Bailey started and went 14-for-21 with 111 yards and a touchdown. Brian Maurer played, going 1-for-1 for eight yards and rushing for one yard on his lone carry of the contest.
J.T. Shrout entered the game late and threw a touchdown pass and leading the Vols on a pair of scoring drives. He was 12-for-14 while amassing 121 yards through the air.
Defensively, Tennessee played well at times. The Vols forced the Gators to a pair of consecutive three-and-outs and is the only team to accomplish that feat this season.
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