On the heels of a comeback win at Texas
A&M last week,No. 17 Florida put together another impressive second
half on the road Saturday to beat Tennessee 37-20 at Neyland Stadium.
Driskel,
who didn't cement the starting quarterback job until last week,
outplayed Tennessee junior Tyler Bray, completing 14 of 20 passes for
219 yards and two touchdowns.
But the final
score didn't indicate how quickly this game turned around after
Tennessee took a 20-13 lead early in the third quarter.
Florida
looked on the verge of implosion when head coach Will Muschamp called
for an ill-advised fake punt with five minutes remaining in the third
quarter, giving Tennesee the ball near midfield with seven-point lead.
Box score: Florida 37, Tennessee 20
But
just when it looked as if the Vols had a perfect opportunity to get a
two-score lead, the game quickly turned the wrong direction. Tennessee
went three-and-out, and Florida needed just one play to tie the game,
using junior Trey Burton as a quarterback out of the Wildcat formation.
Burton took the snap, rolled around the right end and scampered 80 yards
for a touchdown, tying the game at 20.
Tennessee's
meltdown continued when quarterback Tyler Bray threw his second
interception, going deep into double coverage with 1:49 remaining in the
third quarter. Running back Mike Gillislee shook free for a 45-yard
gain on the next play, setting up Driskel's touchdown throw to Jordan
Reed to take a 27-20 lead.
The Gators got
another huge play with 9:55 remaining, when Driskel found senior Frankie
Hammond, who avoided a tackle at midfield and finished off a 75-yard
touchdown to make it 34-20. The avalanche continued after another quick
Tennessee drive, as Florida added a 49-yard field goal with 6:44
remaining to extend the lead to 37-20.
It
amounted to a massive disappointment for Tennessee, which seemed primed
to return to the ranks of college football's elite. Instead, losing to
Florida for an eighth consecutive year will only add to the angst for
third-year coach Derek Dooley, who fell to 0-11 against ranked
opponents.
