No. 1 Gators did not defeat the Vols how everyone expected, but they still got the job down.

This was the game Gator Nation had circled all over their calender because they all wanted pay back from Lane Kiffin who was trying to be big headed which didn’t turn out the way he talked. The Gators played in front of a new stadium record attendance of 90,894, just about every fan besides Tennessee dressed in blue. The roar as Florida ran onto the field was amazing, I’m surprised I still have my hearing back after the game was over.

Florida kick returner Brandon James returned the opening kick off for 50 yards along with drawing a 15 yard facemask penalty that gave the Gators excellent field position. The Tennessee defense kicked in early and held Florida to an early 35 yard field goal. Florida’s defense also stopped the Vols to a field goal that tied the score 3-3.

What I was shocked about was how the Gators defense handled Tennessee’s ground game. It seemed like Tennessee did not have any confidence in Cromptons arm, so they ran the ball all day and Florida had a hard time stopping it.

Tebow made a couple turnovers that played a big part in the final score of the game. Tebow fumbled at Tennessee’s four yard line and also threw a interception that was picked off by Eric Berry. Don’t get me wrong, he did make huge plays but those two turnovers did hurt. Tebow completed 14 of 19 passes for 115 yards and ran for 74 yards on 24 carries, delivering a punishing blow to a Tennessee defender.

What I did like was the Florida’s run game. Moody came in and made a big play with a 20 some yard run. Chris Rainey had a big day, rushing for 64 yards on 9 attempts. Jeff Demps also ran for 31 yards on just four attempts along with a exploding touchdown run.

Receiving, B. Brown went 3-34 yards, Jones caught 2 passes for 25 yards, Cooper with only 2 receptions for 16 yards. Tebow had a wide open pass thrown to Cooper but he could not manage to hold on to it which would of been an easy touchdown for Florida.

On the defensive side for the Gators, both Ahmad Black and Joe Haden had an interception. I’m not sure if anybody noticed but I was not sure why Spikes did not play late in the game. Dustin Doe was put in the game for him, I was not sure if he got injured or what.

But even though the game was expected to be a blow out but wasn’t, Florida still might be able to have a few excuses though. Jeff Demps played through a 101 degree fever, they also played without receiver Deonte Thompson. Not to mention the Gators had a couple lineman that were a little banged up but still managed to fight through it. So there were some good things but also a few bad things Florida really needs to work on and fix before they start playing teams like LSU or even Georgia. They don’t have anymore easy cake walks like the first two games and cannot afford a loss, so the little things need to be corrected.