Tennessee, Florida Tussle in Final Seconds After Volunteers Call Bizarre Late Timeout

It was an odd end to a compelling rivalry matchup.

Florida’s upset win over No. 11 Tennessee looked all but put to bed.

The Gators led the Volunteers 29–16 with nine seconds left, facing fourth-and-16. The ingredients seemed in place for Florida to kill the clock and ice a confidence-building rivalry win.

However, Tennessee coach Josh Heupel signaled timeout to force the Gators to run one more play—a questionable idea that nearly became catastrophic.

Florida quarterback Graham Mertz took the snap and began running around before being knocked down by Volunteers defensive lineman Omari Thomas. Gators offensive lineman Austin Barber appeared to push Thomas, and the two teams traded words and appeared ready to throw punches before being separated.

“That is a fitting end to things,” ESPN announcer Chris Fowler said, taking in the scene from above.

The game marked Florida’s 10th consecutive win over Tennessee at home, a streak dating to 2003. Mertz completed 19 of his 25 passes for 166 yards and a touchdown in the win.


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Patrick Andres
PATRICK ANDRES

Patrick Andres is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in December 2022, having worked for The Blade, Athlon Sports, Fear the Sword and Diamond Digest. Andres has covered everything from zero-attendance Big Ten basketball to a seven-overtime college football game. He is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism with a double major in history .