Game updates, live scores in college football

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Florida football suffered a disheartening 23-17 overtime loss to No. 9 Tennessee in a game that will be remembered for missed opportunities.

The Florida Gators (3-2, 1-1 SEC) forced overtime when freshman quarterback DJ Lagway fired a 27-yard TD pass to wide receiver Chimere Dike with 27 seconds left.

Florida hit a two-point conversion to clinch the win, but after forcing Tennessee to call a timeout, he instead opted for a trey smack extra point to tie the score at 17.

But in the extra session, Florida went back 4 yards from the 25-yard line and Smack pushed a 46-yard field goal attempt out of bounds. Tennessee then drove 25 yards on its overtime possession to win the game, scoring on a one-yard touchdown by Dylan Sampson.

Lagway was in action for most of the second half after quarterback Graham Mertz left the game with a leg injury after throwing a 13-yard TD pass to tight end Arlis Boardingham, which tied UF with 10, early in the third quarter :0 took the lead.

With Mertz out, Tennessee rebounded and scored 17 straight points. A 23-yard TD from Sampson gave them a 17-10 lead with 9:42 left.

Sampson rushed for 101 yards and 3 TDs for the Vols (4-1, 1-1 SEC).

Florida went 1-for-4 from red zone opportunities in the first half, missed a few golden scoring opportunities and only led 3-0 at halftime.

WATCH FLORIDA FOOTBALL VS TENNESSEE ON HULU (FREE TRIAL)

team	1Q	2Q	3Q	4Q	Score
Florida	3	0	7	7	17
Tennessee	0	0	10	7	17

Florida Football evened the score at 17 when DJ Lagway hit receiver Chimere Dike with a 27-yard TD pass with 29 seconds left.

Tennessee takes the lead for the first time when running back Dylan Sampson caps a two-play, 29-yard drive with a 23-yard TD run to give the Vols a 17-10 lead over Florida with 9:42 left.

After an interception by Florida freshman quarterback DJ Lagway, Tennessee tied the score at 10-10 with a 35-yard field goal by Max Gilbert. Lagway will play the remainder of the game for the Gators as starting quarterback Graham Mertz appears to be out with a lower leg injury. Mertz is still on the sidelines, but is limping. Florida running back Montrell Johnson Jr. is also out.

Tennessee scores its first touchdown of the game as the Vols cap an 11-play, 75-yard TD drive with a 6-yard TD run by Dylan Sampson, cutting UF’s lead to 10-7 with 2:57 left End at halftime.

Florida finally finds paydirt in the red zone when Graham Mertz connects with tight end Arlis Boardingham on a 13-yard TD pass, giving the Gators a 10-0 lead with 7:18 left in the third quarter. But the touchdown came at a price, as Mertz limped off the field after the play with an apparent lower leg injury. Running back Montrell Johnson Jr. also twisted his knee after a long run during the nine-play, 92-yard TD drive, but appears to be OK after being placed in the injury tent. Johnson has 85 yards rushing on 12 carries.

Florida took advantage of another scoring opportunity at the end of the first half. An interception by Sharif Denson put UF in the red zone with another scoring opportunity. However, with Florida out of timeouts, quarterback Graham Mertz was sacked, forcing Florida’s field goal unit to rush onto the field as time expired on a 42-yard field goal attempt. Kicker Trey Smack made the 42-yard attempt, but Florida was whistled for an illegal substitution penalty because there were 12 players on the field. After the penalty, a 10-second runoff was forced to end the half, with UF only leading 3-0 at halftime

Florida still clings to a 3-0 lead against Tennessee in the second quarter, but some missed opportunities hurt the Gators. The first play in which Eugene Wilson III was stopped for a 1-yard loss on 4th-and-1 from Tennessee’s 20-yard line. The second game in which Florida quarterback Graham Mertz botched a QB sneak from first-and-goal at the UT 1 and Tennessee recovered. Florida 3, Tennessee 0, with 2:00 left in the half.

The Gators ended the quarter with consecutive sacks on defense by linebacker Jaden Robinson and defensive end Tyreak Sapp. Tennessee defeated Florida 90-52, but the Gators lead on the scoreboard.

Florida is on the field first as Trey Smack’s 42-yard field goal gives the Gators an early 3-0 lead at Neyland Stadium. Florida found itself on the edge of the red zone on third-and-1 from UT’s 20, but freshman running back Jadan Baugh was stopped for a four-yard loss, forcing UF to settle for the smack field goal give.

Running back Treyaun Webb and wide receiver Marcus Burke are out for Florida. Starting left tackle Austin Barber, defensive lineman Joey Slackman and wide receivers Eugene Wilson III and Aidan Mizell are fit and expected to play.

Date: Saturday, October 12th
Time: 7 p.m
Location: Neyland Stadium (Cap. 101,915). Knoxville, Tennessee.

Series record: Florida leads 32-21
Last meeting: Florida defeated Tennessee 29-16 (September 16, 2023 at The Swamp)

Florida will build on its defensive improvements from last week, but its offense will struggle to make plays as Tennessee’s physical front seven will dictate the game.

Prediction of the final result: Tennessee 21, Florida 17

Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Friday, October 11th

Betting line: Tennessee -14.5

O/U: 56.5 points

According to Weather.com, the forecast for the Florida-Tennessee game at kickoff at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee is 68 degrees with a 0% chance of rain and a southeast wind at 1 mph.

The Florida-Tennessee game is sold out, but tickets can still be purchased on secondary markets such as StubHub, Vivid Seats and SeatGeek.

CHECK OUT FLORIDA FOOTBALL PRICES FOR EACH GAME THIS SEASON

Aug. 31: Miami (L, 41-17)
September 7th: Samford (W 45-7)
September 14: Texas A&M (L 33-20)
September 21st: at Mississippi State (W 45-28)
September 28th: Bye
Oct. 5: UCF (W 24-13)
Oct. 12: in Tennessee
Oct. 19: Kentucky
Oct. 26: Bye
November 2: Georgia (Jacksonville)
November 9th: in Texas
November 16: LSU
November 23: Ole Miss
November 30: at Florida State
Record: 3-2, 1-1 SEC

August 31: Chattanooga (W 69-3)
September 7: North Carolina State, Charlotte (W 51-10)
September 14: Kent State (W 71-0)
September 21st: in Oklahoma (S 25-15)
September 28th: Bye
Oct. 5: at Arkansas (L, 19-14)
Oct. 12: Florida
Oct. 19: Alabama
Oct. 26: Bye
November 2: Kentucky
November 9: Mississippi State
November 16: in Georgia
November 23: UTEP
November 30: at Vanderbilt
Record: 4-1, 1-1 SEC

We may occasionally recommend products and services that may be of interest to you. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may receive an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently and this has no influence on our reporting.

Related Posts

Leave a Reply Cancel reply