KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Florida football squandered a chance to pick up a statement win, falling 23-17 in overtime to Tennessee before 101,915 at Neyland Stadium.
The Sun's Kevin Brockway and David Whitley wrapped up the disheartening loss for the Florida Gators (3-3, 1-2 SEC). UF came away with just 3 points in four red zone trips in the first half, which included a field goal wiped off the board to end the first half on an illegal substitution penalty in which 12 players were lined up on the field.
"A lot of missed opportunities in the first half that really came back to haunt them," Brockway said. "You knew they kind of would in a game like this."
The loss dropped Florida football coach Billy Napier to 2-12 against ranked teams and will again raise hot seat talk, given some of the coaching decisions. In addition to the 12-man on the field penalty, Florida also had a drive stall in the red zone on 4th-and-inches on a read-option play out of the shotgun with Eugene Wilson III stopped for no gain.
"This would have been quite the feather in Billy's cap to go into Neyland and beat a Top 10 team," Whitley said. "But it's almost emblematic of way it's gone for him, just can't quite put it together."