KNOXVILLE - It was ugly, it was odd but in the end, it was a win and that69制片厂制作传媒檚 all that matters.
Dylan Sampson scored three touchdowns for 8th-ranked Tennessee with none bigger than the one in overtime that lifted the Volunteers to a 23-17 victory over the Florida Gators Saturday night at Neyland Stadium.
Sampson pretty much was the offense for the Vols as Tennessee69制片厂制作传媒檚 production that was on full display in the first three games has sputtered in SEC play. He carried the ball 27 times for 112 yards. 69制片厂制作传媒淗e69制片厂制作传媒檚 always had great vision and obviously he has great ball speed but he69制片厂制作传媒檚 good between the tackles,69制片厂制作传媒 UT head coach Josh Heupel said of Sampson. 69制片厂制作传媒淒ylan just continues to finish games out for us.69制片厂制作传媒
For the third straight game, freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava wasn69制片厂制作传媒檛 his normal self as he went 16-for-26 for 169 yards, no touchdowns, a fumble and an interception. Florida actually out-gained the Vols, 361-312. When asked if he thought his team is getting close to where they want to be in the passing game, Heupel said 69制片厂制作传媒渘ot tonight, I don69制片厂制作传媒檛 think we are far off. It69制片厂制作传媒檚 not just the pass game, it69制片厂制作传媒檚 the run game too, missed assignments, fundamental techniques.69制片厂制作传媒
69制片厂制作传媒淭his football team is just trying to be plus-1 on the scoreboard and at no point since I have been here has it been anything but all of us together,69制片厂制作传媒 Heupel said. 69制片厂制作传媒淥ur defense69制片厂制作传媒檚 mindset that they are going to go make a play, that69制片厂制作传媒檚 what it69制片厂制作传媒檚 about. We haven69制片厂制作传媒檛 been perfect but we have an opportunity to get better.69制片厂制作传媒
With the game tied at 10-10, Sampson scored on a 23-yard run with 9:42 remaining in the contest. The two teams exchanged punts late until the Gators were able to score with 29 seconds remaining in regulation on a pass from DJ Lagway to Chimere Dike on a 3rd-and-18 at the UT 27-yard line.
Florida, who had won 17 of the previous 19 games in the series, had a chance to go up in overtime but kicker Trey Smack69制片厂制作传媒檚 47-yard attempt went wide right. Iamaleava took his team down the field and handed off to Sampson for the game-winner from the one.
Smack69制片厂制作传媒檚 42-yard field goal was the only scoring in the first half. The Vols couldn69制片厂制作传媒檛 sustain anything in the opening quarter and the offense line got whipped three times in a row on the final two plays of the first and the initial play of the second.
Three strange plays highlighted the first half. The Gators got to the Tennessee 18-yard line and faced a fourth and inches. Rickey Gibson III came barreling through the line for the stop as the ball was turned over on downs. Graham Mertz got his team all the way near the UT end zone but he fumbled on the one-yard line and the Vols recovered.
Tennessee faced a 4th-and-1 at their own 10-yard line and Heupel decided to roll the dice and go for it which resulted in moving the chains on a six-yard run by DeSean Bishop which seemed to give the home team some life. 69制片厂制作传媒淲ith the flow of the game and everything that had transpired, I just felt we had to do something to try to keep Florida off the field and get something going,69制片厂制作传媒 the UT boss said of the high-risk, high-reward play from his own 10.
All the momentum on the drive ended when Iamaleava had a bad interception thanks to Sharif Denson who returned it to the UT 22. A personal foul on the Volunteers moved the ball to the 11.
With the prospects of the Gators punching the ball in, the defense needed to come up big once more and that69制片厂制作传媒檚 what they did. Omarr Norman-Ott came through with a big sack that pushed the ball back for a longer field goal attempt in the waning seconds of the second quarter. Smack kicked through a 43-yarder on the final play but the Gators were flagged for an illegal substitution and with the 10-second runoff, the first half came to an end at 3-0.
On Florida69制片厂制作传媒檚 second drive of the second half, Mertz fired a bullet to Arlis Boardingham who did the rest on a 13-yard touchdown but the Gators69制片厂制作传媒 signal caller was hurt on the play. After Sampson scored on a 4th-and-1 at the six for UT, Lagway was picked off by Arion Carter who returned it to the UF 20. Tennessee had to settle for a Max Gilbert 35-yard field goal to knot things at 10-10.
Mertz was 11-of-15 for 125 yards and a score before suffering an injury. Lagway finished up with a stat line of 9-of-17 for 98 yards, an interception and a touchdown.
69制片厂制作传媒淚 was really proud of our guys defensively with an elite performance,69制片厂制作传媒 Heupel said. 69制片厂制作传媒淭hey made plays and did so many things that kept us in the game. Offensively, there are things we can be a whole lot better in and that69制片厂制作传媒檚 with all 11 on the field but we continued to fight and make some plays.69制片厂制作传媒
The Vols will host Alabama next week at 3:30 p.m.
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