Florida head coach Urban Meyer did something that Steve Spurrier couldn’t do in his early career at Florida. Meyer came away from Neyland Stadium in Knoxville with a win on his first trip with the Gators. Dallas Baker caught a 21-yard touchdown pass from Chris Leak that gave Florida the lead in the fourth quarter and the Gator’s held on to beat No.13 Tennessee 21-20 on Saturday preserving Meyers second straight win over the Volunteers.
The No. 7 Gators (3-0, 1-0 SEC) preserved the victory when Reggie Nelson got his second interception of the game after Tennessee went for it on fourth down at the Florida 45. Then all the Gators needed was another first down, and they got it by inches on third down with 1:22 remaining.
Florida stuffed the Volunteers’ running game and pressured Volunteers junior quarterback Erik Ainge all night.
Gator senior quarterback Chris Leak played in his final game in Neyland where he often came to watch his older brother C.J. Leak play and managed the game while his freshman backup Tim Tebow provided a lift all seven times he entered the game. Leak finished 15-of-25 for 199 yards and one interception.
Bet on College Football at BetUs
Tennessee was held to minus-11 yards rushing and Ainge struggled in going 17-of-32 for 183 yards.
“We said coming out of halftime that we needed to find some balance to take some of the pressure off the passing game,” Tennessee head coach Phil Fulmer said. “I don’t think we took our foot off the gas pedal. Florida just rose to the occasion.
“This win shows our toughness, composure and our senior leadership. You have to have mental toughness to come back,” Leak said. “It’s a great feeling to get a win away from home.”
Meyer became the first Florida coach to beat Tennessee in his first two tries since Galen Hall. Not even Steve Spurrier could do that. And Meyer joins Spurrier, Georgia’s Mark Richt and Tommy Tuberville as the only coaches to beat Tennessee’s Phillip Fulmer in back-to-back seasons. The Gators won last year at The Swamp 16-7.
The loss for Tennessee is sure to get the negative talk going again about Fulmer’s future. The Vols finished last year 5-6 and had fans temporarily happy with two wins to open the season. No Tennessee is in catch-up mode in the SEC East.
Florida hasn’t played in the SEC championship game since 2000. Winning at Neyland Stadium was a big step toward getting back.
