Tennessee hadn’t won a game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium since 2003. On Saturday, that streak quickly disappeared.
The Volunteers (8-3, 4-3 SEC) pummeled the Gators (3-8, 2-6 SEC) 31-11, led by running back DeSean Bishop. The redshirt sophomore finished with 24 carries for 116 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
“We’ve got to do a better job stopping the run consistently, and that hasn't happened lately," interim head coach Billy Gonzales said. “I just got done telling them I said, ‘Sometimes life has to break you completely before you truly discover who you are.’”
Last week, it was Ole Miss running back Kewan Lacy who torched the UF defense for 224 yards and three touchdowns. This week, Tennessee’s ground game tallied 248 rushing yards. Along with Bishop, Star Thomas added 71 yards and a touchdown, and Daune Morris had 14 carries for 41 yards.
On the offensive side of the ball, Florida got off to yet another slow start. It failed to pick up first downs, and discipline issues continued to haunt the Gators. On the first drive of the game, DJ Lagway connected with Jadan Baugh for a 42-yard gain, but the play was wiped due to a holding penalty committed by offensive lineman Austin Barber.
The Gators churned just one yard of offense in the first quarter, and the offense finished the game 2 for 9 on third down. Lagway finished with 11 completions on 17 attempts for 117 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for 40 yards, which was a season-high.
Florida’s scoring streak, which stood at 471 games heading into Saturday, looked to be at risk after Trey Smack missed a 38-yard field goal at the end of the first half. However, the Gators finally got on the board when Smack nailed a 46-yarder in the third quarter.
Regardless, Florida’s offense still looked out of sorts in the second half. Baugh was the lone bright spot as he continued to dodge tacklers and break off defenders. He eventually found his way into the end zone when Lagway tossed a 33-yard touchdown pass to him with Florida trailing 33-3. He finished with 18 carries for 96 yards and added 35 receiving yards and a touchdown.
“Baugh played an exceptional game, both in the run game and the pass game,” Gonzales said.
However, even when Florida’s offense appeared competent, its defense struggled.
Despite getting redshirt senior defensive lineman Caleb Banks back for the first time since Sept. 13, it was clear UF missed its starters like Bryce Thornton, who was ruled out in a game-time decision, and Cormani McClain, who suffered a lower leg injury in the first quarter.
Tennessee’s offense, which ranked second in both scoring and total offense heading into Saturday, finished with 452 total yards and four touchdowns in the rout.
“We couldn’t get them off the field,” Gonzales said. “The biggest thing is we talked about not letting them get off to a fast start … We got to play better.”
Aguilar entered The Swamp as the SEC’s leading passer, averaging 294 passing yards per game through the Volunteers’ first 10 games. He continued to terrorize opposing defenses as Tennessee marched down the field for touchdowns on each of its first four drives of the game. By the conclusion of the first quarter, Aguilar had a 100% completion rate for 126 yards and a touchdown. He finished with 17 completions on 22 attempts for 204 yards and a touchdown.
The lone defensive highlight of the night for the Gators — a strip sack by Jayden Woods that Tennessee ended up recovering — was immediately overshadowed by a 52-yard run by Thomas, who punched in a 1-yard touchdown the following play.
“I feel like we weren’t out there playing to the full extent of our effort,” senior cornerback Devin Moore said. “There’s a high level of disappointment … Guys got to play with more effort, just the little things.”
Florida will be back in The Swamp when it looks to spoil in-state rival Florida State’s bowl eligibility in the season’s final game Nov. 29 at 4:30 p.m.
Contact Curan Ahern at cahern@alligator.org. Follow him on X at @CuranAhern.
Curan is a third-year journalism-sports & media major who currently serves as the football beat reporter for The Alligator, now in his third semester with the paper. When not at his computer screen writing, Curan enjoys spending time outdoors, hanging with friends, family and pets, and watching the Patriots lose (no, he doesn't miss Brady).
