Florida Bests Tennessee, Extends Home Winning Streak

The Tennessee Volunteers suffered their first loss of the 2023 season to Florida on Saturday evening.

The ending to Tennesee's loss to Florida encapsulated a difficult evening for the program. The Vols were undisciplined all night, which boiled over into the skirmish at the end. It has been a frustrating start to the season for a team initially expected to do big things.

The sky shouldn't be falling in Knoxville, Tennessee, but things are tough through three games. Florida highlighted many of Tennessee's weak areas - they dared Tennessee to pass the football for four quarters but couldn't. Quarterback Joe Milton III's stat line once again reads fairly well, but the timing and execution of the offense is off. He threw a costly interception under duress, throwing the ball up in the air while getting tackled. 

These types of glaring mistakes plagued Tennessee across their roster in the first two games, and the Gators exploited those moments. Florida quarterback Graham Mertz did an excellent job of taking what the Vols gave him and converting in big spots. 

Now, all isn't lost for Tennessee. It's an early season loss to a conference opponent - they can still accomplish many things they wanted to do, but they must answer many questions. Something must change on offense before they can achieve their full potential, namely, the passing attack. They aren't challenging defenses vertically at all, which is very unlike past teams under head coach Josh Heupel. He typically finds ways to maximize his pass catchers, and it'll be interesting to see how he responds moving forward.

Florida Gators HC Billy Napier during the win over Tennessee on September 16th, 2023, in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by Matt Pendleton of USA Today Sports)

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