Florida vs. Tennessee: Game Grades, Analysis for Gators and Volunteers

It was not a pretty game to say the least, but the Florida Gators came away with a 10-9 win against the Tennessee Volunteers. The final box score can be viewed here, thanks to NCAA.com.

Both teams played well on defense, but the difference was Florida’s D and the run game. Bryan Cox Jr. had three of the Gators' six sacks, and Treon Harris came in to replace Jeff Driskel and provided a spark for the offense in the fourth quarter.

As for the Vols, the offensive line had fits with the Florida front seven, and Justin Worley had three costly turnovers in the second half. They will need to learn how to close out games moving forward.

Here are game grades and analysis for the Gators and the Vols.

Positional Unit	First-Half Grade	Final Grade
Passing Offense	F	D-
Running Offense	B	B+
Passing Defense	C	A-
Running Defense	A	A
Special Teams	A-	A-
Coaching	C	B-

Passing Offense: Driskel could not get anything going through the air all game long. He was 11-of-23 for 59 yards and three interceptions. He has not shown improvement this season and may not be the starter again because Harris ran the same plays and was 2-of-4 for 17 yards. Harris should provide the Gators a better passing attack this season.

Running Offense: As bad as the passing offense was, the run game was very effective. Matt Jones ran hard between the tackles, and even Driskel got in on the action with 30 yards. The run game for Florida did not run over the Tennessee front seven, but it did enough to make the offense go, especially in the fourth quarter.

Passing Defense: Worley was able to complete some big passes in the first half, but the Gators shut him down in the second half. Thanks to the defensive line led by Cox, the Gators got six sacks on Worley. And the secondary led by Vernon Hargreaves got two picks. The very young Tennessee offensive line was no match for Florida's defensive linemen and linebackers.

Running Defense: The Gators completely shut down the run game for the Vols, who rushed for 28 net yards on 29 carries. Jalen Hurd had only 39 yards, and Marlon Lane had 22 yards. Led by Dante Fowler and Antonio Morrison, the defensive front seven got off blocks and did not miss tackles. This defense had its best game on Saturday and should only get better.

Special Teams: The special teams played a big role in the win. There were no big returns, but the coverage teams were disciplined. Kyle Christy was solid in the punting game, averaging 35 yards per punt and pinning the Vols deep in their own territory. But Austin Hardin was the MVP on special teams as he kicked a 49-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to give the Gators the lead.

Coaching: Will Muschamp did a good job of preparing his defense for the Vols. The defense was all over the field, came away with three turnovers and did not give up a touchdown. However, he should have pulled Driskel as soon as he threw the third interception and put in Harris. But he did make the move in the fourth, and as a result the Gators were able to win a close one.

Positional Unit	First-Half Grade	Final Grade
Passing Offense	B	D
Running Offense	D-	D-
Passing Defense	A	A-
Running Defense	B-	C
Special Teams	A	A
Coaching	B	B

Passing Offense: Worley was able to do some good things in the first half, but he could not get anything going in the second half. He was constantly pressured by the Florida defensive front and never got comfortable. At the same time, the offensive line gave him little to zero time to throw the ball, so Worley had to throw some of his passes earlier than he wanted to. He also took too many sacks, and that will have to change as the season rolls on.

Running Offense: This was the worst outing for the running backs this season. Hurd and Lane could not get anything going because the offensive line could not reach the second level and get to the Florida linebackers. The offensive line for the Vols is young, but the group has to improve if the Vols want to be a contender in the SEC.

Passing Defense: The defense for the Vols got after Driskel, forcing three interceptions and three sacks. Things changed a little bit when Harris was in at quarterback for Florida, but the Vols defense was working with a short field due to the offense committing a turnover. A.J. Johnson and Brian Randolph made Driskel and the receivers’ lives miserable as they tallied 20 combined tackles.

Running Defense: Jones did have more than 100 yards rushing, and Driskel had 30 yards on the ground as well. But the run defense for the Vols was OK as they gave up just 156 yards. Credit has to go to Jones for running tough all game long. But Johnson and the rest of the defense did not let the Gators run wild on them. The difference, though, was the Jones touchdown run, which gave the Gators the momentum they needed to win.

Special Teams: It was a good day for the special teams. Aaron Medley nailed three field goals, and Matt Darr averaged 43 yards per punt. The coverage teams did not let Florida gain any momentum as well, which is another reason why the Gators could not get anything going on offense. It’s rare to have the special teams outplay the offense, but that was the case for the Vols.

Coaching: Butch Jones had his players ready to go just like he has done all year, but the Vols have to get better at playing clean football. The turnovers and penalties hurt them, and those missteps have to be corrected. However, this team is young, and it will take time for the Vols to limit the mistakes they have made so far this season.