Classic SEC Football: Florida Tops Tennessee in 2000 in 'The Catch?'

Every Friday, The SEC Blog will feature one classic game from the storied history of SEC football.

The Tennessee vs. Florida rivalry is still one of the top rivalries in the SEC, and during the tenures of Phil Fulmer and Steve Spurrier, it routinely determined who would represent the East in the SEC Championship Game.

The 2000 edition of the rivalry did just that.

Florida travelled to Knoxville on Sept. 16, 2000 with a 2-0 record and a No. 6 ranking in tow, while the Volunteers entered the contest at 1-0 and ranked No. 11.

Tennessee managed just 12 points off four first-half scoring drives that totalled 193 yards. Despite the stagnant red-zone offense, the Volunteers took a 12-7 lead into halftime.

Florida jumped out on top mid-way through the third quarter when Gator cornerback Lito Sheppard stepped in front of an A.J. Suggs pass and returned it 19 yards for a touchdown to give the Gators a 17-12 lead.

A Travis Henry one-yard touchdown run followed by an Alex Walls 42-yard field goal put the Vols back on top 23-17 early in the fourth. Florida kicker Jeff Chandler got the Gators to within three points late in the fourth with a 31-yard field goal with 7:35 to play.

The two teams traded punts until Florida got the ball on its own nine-yard line with 2:14 to play and needing a touchdown for the win. Led by quarterback Jesse Palmer, the Gators stormed down the field and were knocking on the doorstep with less than a minute to play.

Palmer hit Reche Caldwell for the go-ahead touchdown with 28 seconds to go, but the play was negated by a Florida penalty for an illegal man downfield. 

On second and goal with 14 seconds to go, Palmer went to Jabar Gaffney, who was well-covered in the end zone. Almost as soon as the ball reached Gaffney, it was slapped away by Tennessee defensive back Willie Miles. After a brief conference, the play was ruled as a touchdown by the officials, which gave the Gators the 27-23 win.

Florida would go on to finish the season 7-1 in the SEC, while the Volunteers finished 5-3.

Florida would still have had a shot to score had the game-winning touchdown been ruled incomplete, but it was far from a certainty. Had the Volunteers pulled out the victory, they would have tied the Gators in the final SEC standings and gone to the SEC Championship Game as a result of the head-to-head tiebreaker.

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