Tennessee football has one of its best chances in years to score a win over nemesis Florida when they face off at a sold-out Neyland Stadium.
The Vols have lost 16 of the last 17 games in the series, with their lone win in 2016. The Gators have won the past four matchups by double-digit margins.
No. 12 Tennessee (3-0, 0-0 SEC) plays No. 22 Florida (2-1, 1-0) at 3:30 pm ET. It will be televised nationally on CBS.
A lot of pomp surrounds the game. ESPN’s “College Gameday” is on campus. Checker Neyland will create a unique scene in the stadium. And fans are on edge for the latest installment of the rivalry that has been dominated by Florida for almost two decades.
INJURY UPDATESFour Tennessee football players join Cedric Tillman on inactive list vs. Florida
HOW TO WATCH TENNESSEE VS. FLORIDATV, livestream for rivalry game
Tennessee football score, updates vs. Florida in SEC Week 4
Postgame
Some stats…
- Total yards: Gators 594, Vols 576
- Hendon Hooker: 22-of-28 for 349 yards and two touchdowns; 112 rushing yards and a touchdown
- Bru McCoy: 5 catches, 102 yards and a TD
- Jabari Small: 19 carries, 90 yards and a TD
- Anthony Richardson: 24-of-44, 453 yards and two TDs with one interception; 62 rushing yards, two TDs and a lost fumble
Now, some stories:
INSTANT ANALYSIS:Tennessee football finally beats Florida on Hendon Hooker’s epic performance
BIRD IS THE WORD:Tennessee OL Gerald Mincey, a Florida transfer, flips off old teammates in Florida game
JOHN ADAMS:Tennessee football beating Florida is big. What happens next could be bigger
Fourth quarter
0:00 left: Anthony Richardson pressed on the Hail Mary attempt, and it was intercepted. Vols win.
Final score: Tennessee 38, Florida 33. Postgame upcoming.
16 seconds left: Going to be a lot of questions about Billy Napier going for two times in a 38-33 game. Anthony Richardson to Justin Shorter inside the UT 40.
17 seconds left: Touchdown Florida. Anthony Richardson to Ricky Pearsall.
Gators going for two. Richardson’s pass is incomplete. Onside kick coming.
And the Gators recover! Wow. Florida’s ball near midfield.
28 seconds left: Ricky Pearsall’s catch and run inside the UT 10 yard line, and the Gators are trying to pull together a miracle. They’ll need a TD, a two-point conversion, an onside kick and another score.
2:49 left: First down, Vols, on a delay of game penalty on the defense. The Vols will win against the Florida Gators.
4:48 left: Bru McCoy fields a rather simple onside kick. Tennessee has the ball at midfield.
4:49 left: Florida scores on 4th down, on a Montrell Johnson 5-yard touchdown run. Here comes a two-point try.
Anthony Richardson’s pass is incomplete. Vols 38, Gators 27.
5:50 left: Anthony Richardson with a rainbow pass to Justin Shorter for 39 yards, and his next pass is just off Shorter’s fingertips. Gators driving, but Vols lead by 17.
Vols put the game away after Anthony Richardson fumbled
7:55 left: Touchdown Tennessee. Jaylen Wright scores up the middle and does a gator chomp. Tennessee 38, Florida 21.
9:48 left: Jaylen Wright runs right for a first down. 1st and goal, Vols.
12:10 left: There’s Jacob Warren, who almost had two big catches today. This one on a good play call for 45 yards. Gators on the ropes.
12:37 left: Anthony Richardson fumbles on a designed run inside the UT 15, forced by Omari Thomas. Jeremy Banks recovered. Play of the game for the Tennessee defense.
That may do it with the way the Vols offense has been humming.
Third quarter
31 seconds left: Florida has 4th and 3, and Anthony Richardson takes a deep shot. Justin Shorter makes the catch, and the Gators are in business.
2:45 left: Crowd at full throat, Florida with 3rd and 9 deep in its own territory….and Trevor Etienne easily gets the first down via the run. Not good.
Vols up by 10 on sneak in the third quarter
3:45 left: After a lot of non-sense, a long review and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on UF coach Billy Napier, Jabari Small finally plunges in for the shortest touchdown run of the year.
5:48 left: There goes Hendon Hooker, scrambling inside the Florida 20 on what could have been a sack. A 44-yard run.
5:55 left: Anthony Richardson is in via the QB sneak, although the officials are the only people in Neyland Stadium that do not know that.
After review, TD Gators. Tennessee’s lead cut to 24-21.
Total yards: Tennessee 415, Florida 356
7:21 left: Keon Zipperer opened on fourth down near the UT 15, and the Gators drive continued.
9:25 left: Florids is driving, helped by an illegal hand to face penalty. Vol defense still making life too easy on Anthony Richardson.
Tennessee extends the lead out of halftime
12:15 left: Touchdown Tennessee, and it’s Jabari Small on a catch-and-run up the near sideline. 17 yards. Vols 24, Gators 14.
That came after a holding penalty that negated a Hendon Hooker touchdown run. The Vols got a touchdown going into the half and a touchdown going out of it. The way it’s drawn up.
14:35 left: There’s a big play from Jabari Small, who runs over the right side for 39 yards. Vols in business.
Second quarter
HALFTIME: Tennessee 17, Florida 14
Tennessee takes a late lead into halftime
7 seconds left: Touchdown Tennessee. Hendon Hooker finds Bru McCoy in the back of the end zone for the score. Tennessee 17, Florida 14.
17 seconds left: Hendon Hooker scrambles up the middle inside the Florida 5. First and goal. Jabari Small runs into the line of scrimmage to no avail. Vols called their final timeout.
1:07 left: Holy moly, what a catch by Ramel Keyton. He LAID out for a long gain. Vols into Florida territory.
1:33 left: CBS reporting Hendon Hooker has an upper-body injury, but is still in the game. He’s clearly in pain, though.
3:00 left: Hey, a punt! Anthony Richardson throws incomplete on that odd play where the offensive line keeps in a two point stance. The Vols will get another chance before halftime, although the punt is downed at the 2-yard line.
5:21 left: Hendon Hooker throws wide of Jacob Warren while on the run on third down. 4th and 8 from the Florida 33, and the Gators called timeout after the Vols lined up to go for it.
The Vols do go for it, and a Gators blitz gets home. Hooker is strip-sacked, and Florida recovers. Amari Burney was the Florida player credited with the sack.
7:09 left: Hendon Hooker finds Jalin Hyatt over the middle for a first down near midfield.
Florida counters with an effective drive by Anthony Richardson
8:28 left: Anthony Richardson sprints around the right end and is untouched into the end zone. 7-yard TD run. Gators 14. Vols 10.
9:24 left: Anthony Richardson looks comfortable. Another strike for a first down, and it’s 1st and goal Gators.
11:50 left: Florida finds success through the air, as Ricky Pearsall is wide open for a 38-yard catch. Florida into the red zone.
Vols back in front on a Hendon Hooker TD run
11:59 left: Hendon Hooker runs into the end zone untouched from 4 yards out. Vols 10, Gators 7.
Hooker already with 147 passing yards, 47 rushing.
12:29 left: Bry McCoy is wide open up the seam, and is caught at the UF 5-yard line. That was a 70-yard catch and run.
Florida leads on TD pass, poor Vols tackling
12:41 left: Touchdown, Gators. Keon Zipperer breaks a few tackles and puts Trevon Flowers on his rear end en route to a 44-yard catch-and-run touchdown. Florida 7, Tennessee 3.
13:32 left: Florida, after a timeout, goes for it on 4th and 1 from near midfield, and Anthony Richardson completes a pass into UT territory.
First quarter
0:00 left: Florida getting just enough passing game to move the ball against an aggressive Tennessee defense.
Vols took the lead on a short field goal
1:11 left: Hendon Hooker’s third down pass to Jacob Warren is broken up. Chase McGrath’s 32-yard field goal is good. Vols 3, Gators 0.
2:40 left: Hendon Hooker designed QB run for 10 yards. Vols into the red zone again.
4:20 left: Jabari Small looks healthy. A 16-yard run to midfield.
4:40 left: Adam Mihalek is short and wide left from 51 yards. Vols defense holds for a second time.
7:56 left: Princeton Fant fumbles on a long YAC play, and Florida recovers. That’s not good.
8:10 left: The Vols are moving, with Hooker scrambling for a first down and then two straight passes for first downs.
9:49 left: Anthony Richardson is stopped on 4th and 2 inside the Vols’ 25.
13:20 left: Florida goes for it early on, and Richardson just sneaks it over the line to gain on 4th and short. Wow.
Pregame at Neyland Stadium
It’s already been a day in Knoxville, and the game is still an hour away from kickoff.
College GameDay ended with Smokey and Lee Corso picking the Vols, and Kirk Herbstreit playing the heel by picking the Gators.
Vol Walk was well-attended and energetic. Warmups are ongoing inside Neyland Stadium.
Some pregame links:
FROM THIS AMESPN College GameDay for Tennessee-Florida: Predictions, best signs and more
SCOUTING REPORTTennessee football vs. Florida: Score prediction, scouting report for Vols vs. Gators
HEADGEARLee Corso picks Tennessee football to beat Florida on College GameDay in Knoxville
Reach Adam Sparks at adam.sparks@knoxnews.com and on Twitter @AdamSparks.