Tennesee v. Florida

UT has a problem. As talented as Milton is, something is missing from this offense. In addition, the defense was finally exposed big time. Florida bounced off tackles, and, being the most athletic opponent UT has faced so far, far too many defenders were on skates when the ball carrier made a move. It was just about the worst scenario for both sides of the ball.

The Vol’s defense was giving ground most every play on the Gator’s first drive, despite multiple 3rd downs, including a failed 3rd, but the Gators got a second chance after the Vols accepted a holding, and the drive continued. When the defense finally stepped up, forcing a field goal, the kick was blocked, giving UT great position. Tennessee took advantage, driving down, with a big play pass to Squirrel White to boot, and scored on a fade to Keyton to take a quick 7-0 lead.

Florida quickly struck back, with Florida’s running back bouncing away from defenders before bouncing off a lazy Hadden tackle attempt for a touchdown which started on his side of the field. Fortunately, UT blocked the PAT as well, preserving their lead, 7-6. UT was flagged for a pre-snap penalty on the next drive, and couldn’t convert, punting the ball away. Florida drove 14 plays, scoring on a plunge from the running back, and failing a 2 point conversion, creating a 12-7 lead for Florida.

In an effort to drive down the field, Milton tossed up a floater while getting hit, throwing his first Tennessee interception. Florida got a long return, and only needed 9 yards to score. Despite a fumble on their second play, recovered by the guilty party, Florida punched in a sneak for a 19-7 lead. Another pre-snap penalty, plus a sack, could not be overcome, and Tennessee punted again. Florida forced a couple missed tackles on almost every play, and the Gators punched in another score. With a chance to punch into Florida territory with 30 seconds remaining, Milton threw the ball in the dirt, and the half ended with UF leading 26-7.

With a brief rundown of the “What,” let me explain the “Why.” When UT was on offense, the line was not doing a good job getting a push against the Florida defense. This was in part due to a plethora of pre snap penalties which routinely pushed UT back, in addition to head scratching calls for blindside blocks, illegal contact, and holding calls. The Florida defense got to do what the Vols got familiar with the first few weeks; pin their ears back, and charge. While Milton hit a few deep throws, he appeared to still be playing the way he did in previous weeks; not quite there. The talent, again, is overflowing, but the reliance on screens and tosses to the flat and relying on your player to make moves was not a successful strategy offensively. WHen UT was on defense, Florida got to do everything Tennessee was used to seeing last year; they mixed high percentage pop pass/sweep plays with intermediate shots, consistently used motion in sweep, pass, or run situations, and the lQuarterback moved up and out of the pocket, throwing on the run with accuracy, tossing it away wisely, and scrambling for yards with success. The defense itself, meanwhile, missed tackles, and repeatedly threw their body at Florida players instead of playing with proper fundamentals. The Florida offense played with disciplined aggression, and the Tennessee defense played with reckless frustration.

The second half, despite a rally which brought the final to a hard to swallow 29-16 defeat, was played largely the same. Florida still moved the ball with enough success to keep UT off the field for the most part, winning the time of possession battle by nearly 15 minutes (22:32 – 37:28). Tennessee failed to convert all of their three 4th down attempts, all in the second half, and often within field goal range. Taking two field goals when the kick would have been about 40 yards or less would have given UT the opportunity to at least tie it with a touchdown.

Overall, the team, despite putting up nearly 80 points in the first two games, and only surrendering 26, played just about the same against Florida. The biggest difference was the opponent’s quarterback and offensive line weren’t rattled and did their jobs, and the opposing defensive front was much tougher to handle. This outcome was not so much a surprise as a disappointment. The coaching staff needs to change what they are doing if Tennessee wants to hold out any hope for SEC success in 2023.