Volquest Live Updates: No. 11 Tennessee 7, Florida 6 (First Quarter)
GAINESVILLE — It’s game day at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. No. 11 Tennessee (2-0) and Florida (1-1) are scheduled for a 7 p.m. Eastern Time kickoff on ESPN, as both teams open Southeastern Conference play with a huge matchup.
Tennessee won 38-33 at Neyland Stadium a year ago and hasn’t beat Florida two straight times in 19 years. It’s been 20 years since the Vols last beat the Gators in The Swamp and there have been only three Tennessee wins in Gainesville since 1971.
Still, the Vols entered Saturday as a 6.5-point favorite over the Gators, a line that opened at 7.5 points in May, moved to as much as 9.5 on August 31 and shrunk as small as 5.5 late this week. Tennessee has been favored only once in the last 30 years at Florida, losing 28-27 as a one-point favorite in 2015.
Follow along for all of today’s live updates on The General’s Quarters.
First Quarter
Florida 0, Tennessee 0 (7:34, 1Q): Florida drove 46 yards on 14 plays on its first possession of the game, but Adam Mihalek’s 46-yard field goal attempt came up short. The Gators converted twice on third down during the drive, but the Vols had two tackles for loss, resulting in six yards lost, before Florida attempted the field goal.
Tennessee 7, Florida 0 (5:33, 1Q): The Vols got the ball after the missed field goal and went 71 yards in six plays for a quick-strike touchdown. Joe Milton III hit Squirrel White for a 41-yard gainer down the Tennessee sideline then threw an 11-yard fade to the corner of the end zone to Ramel Keyton to open the scoring. The drive took just two minutes, one second off the clock. Jaylen Wright converted third-and-4 with an 11-yard gainer on a swing pass from Milton to set up the deep shot to White.
Tennessee 7, Florida 6 (4:10, 1Q): The Gators needed four plays to respond. Trevor Etienne ran 62 yards for a touchdown to get Florida on the board. Mihalek’s extra point attempt was blocked. Florida converted on third-and-5 on the play before the long touchdown run.
Tennessee at Florida: How to Watch
Kickoff Time: 7 p.m. ET
Location: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium (88,548)
Streaming: ESPN (Chris Fowler – Play by Play, Kirk Herbstreit – Color Commentator, Holly Rowe – Sideline Reporters)
Mobile: ESPN App
Radio: WIVK-FM 107.7 and WNML-FM 99.1 in Knoxville. The Vol Network radio broadcast (Bob Kesling – play-by-play – Pat Ryan, analyst – Brent Hubbs, analyst – Jayson Swain sideline) can be heard on local affiliates across the state of Tennessee.
Satellite Radio: SiriusXM Channel 133 or Channel 190. SiriusXM App Channel 961.
Updating the injury list for the Vols
Tennessee starting center Cooper Mays, who has been out since undergoing surgery on August 9, will travel to Gainesville with the Vols and, according to what head coach Josh Heupel said on Thursday, it appears he could make his return against the Gators.
“Yeah, he will be going with us; he’s done really good all week long,” Heupel said during his final press conference of the week. “I anticipate him being ready to play … He’s smart, competitive and communicates at a really high level. His experience is beneficial for us.”
Heupel ruled Mays out for the Austin Peay game last Wednesday and said the Vols were hoping to get him 100 percent healthy before the game at Florida. On Monday he started the week by saying he anticipated Mays taking additional steps before the game in Gainesville.
“He was with us last week,” Heupel said. “Warmed up with us. We made a decision pretty early in the week that he probably would not play in that football game. And, anticipate him having a good week of practice here, getting ready.”
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