The Gator football team upsets Tennessee 29-16 at The Swamp

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) - The Gators beat the Vols in their first SEC matchup of the season. Second-year head coach Billy Napier and the team got a pivotal win, upsetting Tennessee 29-16 upset of the No. 11 Tennessee Volunteers.

The Gators were working on both sides of the ball. Sophomore Trevor Etienne’s rushed a career-high 172 yards. Meanwhile, the strong performance by the defense lead Florida to victory.

The Vols put points on the board first, quarterback Joe Milton to Ramel Keyton for the first touchdown of the game.

The Gators answered quickly, Etienne found a hole and ran into the endzone for a 62-yard touchdown.

Florida would then go onto score 26 unanswered points, heading into halftime with a 26-7 lead.

Montrell Johnson Jr. and Etienne had a combined total of 159 yards and three touchdowns in the first half. Florida cornerback Devin Moore’s interception led to Quarterback Graham Mertz sneaked into the endzone for a 1-yard touchdown.

In the second half, the Vols got some life back, Milton threw a 55-yard touchdown to wide receiver Bru McCoy. This put Tennessee back within two scores to make a potential late game comeback. However, they were shut down by the Gators defense.

Florida finished with 419 total and gave Napier his first big SEC win with the Gators.

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