Florida football put up a heckuva fight on Saturday night in Knoxville against the Tennessee Volunteers but simply did not have enough to keep up in a 23-17 overtime loss inside Neyland Stadium.
It was a grueling, low-scoring affair in the first half that caught most by surprise, especially when the Gators walked off the field at halftime with a 3-0 lead. However, there were plenty of points that never made it onto the scoreboard during the first 30 minutes thanks to some questionable playcalling and ballhandling.
In the end, the Orange and Blue were not able to overcome an injury to their starting quarterback and the hostile home crowd pushed its beloved team across the finish line. The Gators Wire crew took it all in and offered their instant takeaways in a good, bad and ugly format below.
GOOD: The defense proved last week wasn’t a fluke, shutting Tennessee out in the first half and keeping Florida in it after the break. It’s unfair to count the overtime score against them considering the offense didn’t put up any points. They were trying to force a turnover and couldn’t.
But let’s not forget the five three-and-outs created by the defense, three of which came in the fourth quarter. The Gators executed the plan to perfection, eliminating the Volunteers’ run game for most of the night. Eight tackles for loss, three sacks and two turnovers should lead to a win.
BAD: Coming up short four times in the red zone in a single half can’t happen in a rivalry game, but I’m not going to blame the playcalling. Penalties damned Florida in this one.
Remember, Trey Smack made the field goal at the end of the first half before Florida was called for a penalty that ran out the remainder of the game clock. With those three points, Florida doesn’t go into overtime and likely wins outright with the Dike touchdown catch in the fourth. Then there’s the Jake Slaughter false start in overtime.
Of all people, it was Florida’s best lineman — THE CENTER — who was called for a false start… Smack can make it from 47, but he shouldn’t have had to try it from that far out.
UGLY: Graham Mertz going down with what looks like a serious non-contact injury to his left leg. DJ Lagway is still figuring things out, and losing Mertz puts the offense in a state of uncertainty moving forward. You hate to see something like this happen. Hopefully, he can play again this season. — David Rosenberg
GOOD: Florida’s defense really held their ground for the most part throughout this game. Whenever the Gators needed a stop on third down or a quick three-and-out from the Tennessee offense, the defense came through.
Tennessee had a lot of quick drives and just 312 yards of total offense. The Gators ended up dominating the time of possession, holding the ball for just under 35 minutes while Tennessee had it for 25 minutes.
The defense forced seven punts and a couple of turnovers but unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to win the game because things on the offensive side of the ball didn’t click.
BAD: The offense kept shooting themselves in the foot. Whether it was turning the ball over in crucial situations or creating predictable play calls, the Gators’ offense was frustrating to watch. A mix of runs up the middle, read-options and screen passes found no success in moving the ball down the field.
There just weren’t enough throws down the field and unfortunately, you can’t win games in the SEC with conservative playcalling. That’s the bottom line.
UGLY: Graham Mertz might have suffered a very serious injury. Mertz was seen limping to the sideline after throwing a touchdown in the third quarter. What was weird about it was that it was a non-contact injury. Mertz threw the ball and all of a sudden went down to the ground in pain, holding onto his lower leg.
Toward the end of the fourth quarter, Mertz was seen with crutches on the sidelines, hugging coaches and players. While there’s no information released on the injury or severity, that is not a good sign for the Florida Gators. — Aidan Gallardo
GOOD: It was a valiant effort overall for the Gators and they pushed a superior team to the brink on their home field. Despite losing their starting quarterback to injury, they kept fighting until the final horn.
Unfortunately, Florida just ran out of juice after 60 minutes and faltered in the end. While there are no moral victories in completive sports, there was certainly a lot to build on from this Saturday’s performance.
BAD: Neither team was able to get a lot going on the ground — until UT’s late push in the grand scheme of things. The Gators really needed to establish their running game to open up passing options, but aside from a few nice runs, the rushing corps was held in check.
Florida also missed out on some huge opportunities that must be capitalized on against a top-10 team. Fumbling the ball at the goal line — among other giveaways — prevented the Gators from separating themselves from the Vols when it mattered the most.
UGLY: Graham Mertz’s injury may have ended any hope for Billy Napier to hold onto his job past this fall. It could also very well prevent Florida from earning a bowl bid — which was already a major question mark.
We will see what the injury reports say after he is properly evaluated, but with all due respect to an incredibly talented DJ Lagway, this team is up poop creek without a paddle if Graham is done. — Adam Dubbin
Next up for Florida
The Gators return to the Swamp on Saturday to host the Kentucky Wildcats in Week 8 for the program’s homecoming game. Game time is once again a late one — starting at 7:45 p.m. ET — while the broadcast will be provided by the SEC Network.
Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.