ESPN College GameDay headed up to Knoxville for a key SEC East game against the Tennessee Volunteers and Florida Gators. It was an exciting game that saw a big rally in the second half and changed the face of the division.
The Volunteers went into this game having lost 11 straight games against the Gators and it certainly looked like they would be losing a 12th straight after going down 21-0. However, Tennessee proved they weren’t like the teams of yesteryear by making a big comeback in the second half to get to 1-0 in the conference.
The Gators opened up the scoring as quarterback Austin Appleby, who was filling in for the injured Luke Del Rio, hit Antonio Callaway with a huge pass down inside the five-yard line. They capped it off with a touchdown toss to DeAndre Goolsby.
Really long pass that leads to a TD?
Yup, that's a solid start for @GatorsFB. https://t.co/ogWwrVyc7Z— SEConCBS (@SEConCBS) September 24, 2016
The Gators added onto their lead in the first half as Appleby hit Jordan Cronkrite from 15 yards out to make the score 14-0 early in the second quarter. Jordan Scarlett added a one-yard touchdown dive to make the score 21-0 late in the first half, but the Volunteers did not say die.
The Vols used a 28-yard field goal by Aaron Medley to start a 38-point streak to pull away from the Gators.
The Volunteers still trailed 21-3 late in the third quarter when they scored 21 points in a stretch of 4:13 to take their first lead of the game. Quarterback Josh Dobbs hit Jalen Hurd with a 23-yard strike to make the score 21-10.
The Vols followed that up with an amazing grab by wide receiver Ethan Wolf to cut the Gators’ lead down to just four points. This catch was one of the best in the game and the biggest for the Volunteers.
Here comes @Vol_Football!
This slick grab by Ethan Wolf makes it a one-score game. https://t.co/P85J9glVjv
— SEConCBS (@SEConCBS) September 24, 2016
On their ensuing offensive drive, the Volunteers made a huge play as Dobbs found Juaun Jennings from 67 yards out to take the 24-21 lead.
MY GOODNESS! @Vol_Football has come all the way back to take the lead with this 67-yard touchdown pass! https://t.co/seaDF2okeD
— SEConCBS (@SEConCBS) September 24, 2016
What happened over the next five minutes was just the cherry on the top of the Tennessee beats Florida sundae. Dobbs hit Josh Malone from 42 yards out for the receiver’s fourth touchdown in as many games in the 2016 season and then added another touchdown on a five-yard scamper.
I've been talking Josh Malone up for years. One of the best WRs in the SEC #UFvsTENN #VFL #Vols #StationCamp pic.twitter.com/JNzHuWv4qO
— Jason Hall (@JasonHall1289) September 24, 2016
The Volunteers ended up pulling out the win over the Gators and the streak was finally over. The party was on in Knoxville as the Volunteers moved to 4-0 for the first time since 2003.
Dobbs finished the game with career highs of 319 passing yards and four passing touchdowns. Jennings had 111 yards and a touchdown on three receptions.
The Volunteers next travel to Athens for a big SEC East game against the Georgia Bulldogs. The Gators look to bounce back with a road trip back to the state of Tennessee against Vanderbilt next week.
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