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

The Florida Gators used some fourth-quarter drama to come from 13 points behind and beat Tennessee 28-27 in Gainesville for their 11th consecutive victory over the Volunteers.

Freshman Antonio Callaway caught a 4th-and-14 pass from Will Grier and raced 63 yards for a touchdown, and the extra point gave Florida the lead with 1:26 to go. The Vols drove down to try a 55-yard field goal, but Aaron Medley's kick stayed just inches right, and the Gators celebrated.

Coach Jim McElwain iced Medley with a timeout where he missed the kick, but thankfully for the Gators, he missed again.

It was yet another classic in a series that has been decidedly one-sided over the past decade-plus, and you can go back and review all the live-blogging action here. Let's take a look at the game grades.

	1st Half Grade	Final Grade
Pass Offense	C-	B
Run Offense	A	C-
Pass Defense	A+	A
Run Defense	C-	C-
Special Teams	B	B+
Coaching	C+	A

Pass Offense: It was certainly an uneven game for redshirt freshman Will Grier, but he was money when it mattered. He missed several passes throughout the game, but Grier was pivotal in converting three fourth-down conversions in the fourth quarter. On the final two drives, he calmly led the Gators down the field for touchdowns, and with Treon Harris suspended, he left no doubts that this is his team now and in the future.

Run Offense: Early in the game, it looked like Kelvin Taylor would be a force throughout the game with his 47-yard run and a touchdown shortly after. But he and the Gators struggled to control the game on the ground after that first drive. Though Taylor wound up with 102 rushing yards and a couple of scores, Tennessee adjusted, and Florida had to put the game on Grier's shoulder. He delivered.

Pass Defense: Even with Jalen Tabor suspended and Vernon Hargreaves III not 100 percent, the Gators were still strong in defending the pass. When only three wide receivers catch a pass, and that's just one a piece, it's hard to fault anything the Gators did against the pass. The trickery early in the game on the double pass docks them a little as Joshua Dobbs raced 58 yards for a touchdown.

Run Defense: The Gators struggled in stopping Dobbs and Jalen Hurd. Both players had more than 100 yards, and any time that happens, it's not a good night. But UF stopped the Vols on three consecutive runs to get the football back late in the fourth quarter. Still, for a defense that has stuffed the run all year, the Vols had their way with Florida more than the Gators would have liked.

Special Teams: Jorge Powell made all four of his extra-point attempts, and punter Johnny Townsend averaged 49.6 yards on his seven punts in what was an excellent game for him. Callaway made some plays in the return game, but Florida also let Evan Berry bust one for too many yards. Still, it was a solid performance.

Coaching: McElwain's team was fooled by a couple of trick plays throughout the game, but he had the guts to go for it on fourth down after fourth down, and his team made him look like a genius. This was easily the biggest win of his coaching career, and he made the calls to put his team in a position to win the game. It was a coming-of-age victory in the SEC, something Tennessee's Butch Jones hasn't had in three years.

	1st Half Grade	Final Grade
Pass Offense	D	D-
Run Offense	A	B+
Pass Defense	B+	D+
Run Defense	C+	B-
Special Teams	A	B
Coaching	B+	F

Pass Offense: Tennessee ran the football well all day, but they must have thought they simply couldn't move the ball downfield through the air. Only three UT receivers had catches, and that group continues to underachieve massively. Jauan Jennings, Cody Blanc and Josh Smith were the only three receivers with a grab on the stat sheet, and that's baffling. The receiving corps struggled to get separation, and it was a very unbalanced game because of it.

Run Offense: Hurd and Dobbs were incredible, controlling the game and doing what it took to win. The inability to throw the ball allowed Florida to stack the box, and UT still was able to get a lot of rushing yards against a defense that had allowed an average of 55 yards per game in the first three contests. The Vols had 254 rushing yards, more than doubling Florida's total. It was a good day on the ground.

Pass Defense: Something seemed a little off with cornerback Cameron Sutton for most of the game, but the Vols still didn't play terribly back there until the fourth quarter. Senior safety Brian Randolph did slip on Taylor's big first-quarter run. But with the game on the line, the bottom line is that the defensive backs couldn't stop fourth downs, including a 4th-and-14 play that went for a 63-yard touchdown. 

Run Defense: It didn't start well for Tennessee, but the defensive line and linebackers (especially Jalen Reeves-Maybin) made sure those rushing yards didn't come in chunks after that drive. At times, the Gators simply abandoned the run because UT was doing so well against it. The Gators were smothered most of the game by a strong front seven for the Vols.

Special Teams: Punter Trevor Daniel continues to be a major weapon, and Berry busted one on a kickoff return to give the Vols good field position. But he also slipped on his final attempt after the Gators' go-ahead touchdown. It's hard to fault Medley for missing a 55-yard, would-be game-winning field goal that had more than enough distance. That kick was nailed. 

Coaching: In what unfortunately seemed like a carbon copy of the Oklahoma game, the Vols got far too conservative on offense in their final two drives, choosing to milk as much of the clock as they could rather than try to make a first down and ice it.

Defensive coordinator John Jancek failed to dial up blitzes on any of the fourth-down conversions, and, of course, Jones failing to go for the two-point conversion on UT's last touchdown wound up being the point that lost it for the Vols.

"

Before this season, Butch Jones was 12-1 w/@Vol_Football when leading at halftime. This year, he has already lost 2 games with lead at half.

— B/R Insights (@BR_Insights) September 26, 2015"

All stats gathered from UTSports.com unless otherwise noted. All recruiting information gathered from 247Sports unless otherwise noted. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted.

Brad Shepard covers SEC football and is the Tennessee lead writer for Bleacher Report. Follow Brad on Twitter @Brad_Shepard.