Todd Golden knows that it’s still early, that he is a brand new coach with a brand new system. He has 13 scholarship players on his first Florida roster. Six of them are holdovers from the previous coach. Four of them transferred in. Three of them are freshmen, one of whom was committed to the previous coach, one who decommitted Mississippi State then committed to Golden, and the third a Polish kid who spent a year or two in Florida before moving back to Europe to play in Germany.

A few thoughts to jump start your Thursday morning:

By FRANZ BEARD GatorBaitMedia.com The slings and arrows were already being fired from every corner of Gator Nation by the time Anthony Richardson stood rather quietly in front of the microphone in the South End Zone. No one had to tell him he had played poorly, but others contributed to 12th-ranked Florida’s 26-16 loss to 20th-ranked Kentucky at The Swamp. As he quietly, politely, answered the questions from the media, not once did Richardson offer up an excuse. He put the blame for Florida’s loss solely and completely on his broad shoulders. A week ago, Richardson was the toast of college football, streaking across the sky like a meteor after he put the Gators on his back, leading them to a 29-26 win over then 7th-ranked Utah. When there were plays to be made against the Utes, Richardson made them. Opportunities were few against Kentucky. The Wildcats structured their entire game plan around stopping Richardson. If someone was going to beat them, it would have to be someone not wearing No. 15 in orange and blue. They stacked the box to stuff the run, spied Richardson to keep him from getting loose outside the pocket and they bracketed Ricky Pearsall. Richardson wasn’t the only one the Wildcats were determined wouldn’t beat them. It is a strategy that almost backfired. There were three dropped passes in the first half. Richardson had several overthrows of wide open receivers. If the receivers make those catches or two or three of Richardson’s high hard ones had made their way into the hands of receivers who had no trouble finding holes in the middle of the field in the first half, it could have been a far different outcome. But, it wasn’t to be. Not on this night. As the game wore on, Kentucky adjusted its secondary. The openings that were there in the first half weren’t there nearly as often. Richardson admitted that the deeper it got into the game, the more he was pressing . “At times I did try to push it a little bit,” Richardson said softly. “Try to aim so I could complete some stuff. I guess that hurt my game as well.” He aimed. He fired. He misfired. He was 14-35 throwing the ball for only 143 yards. He threw two interceptions, one that was run back to the Florida five with 2:47 to go in the first half that breathed life into the Wildcats just when it seemed the Gators were going to break the game open in spite of several missed chances. Kentucky went from zero momentum and down 16-7 to a 16-13 halftime deficit. “The first one, I didn't get enough depth on my naked [bootleg]," Richardson said. "I thought I could get it off in the end but I didn't want to throw it over the top because he was a long player. So, I tried to side-arm it and he just made a great play on that one, so shoutout to him.” Attribute the second interception to Richardson trying to gun the ball to a receiver on a 12-yard out route. Keidron Smith jumped the route and took it to the house, giving Kentucky a 23-16 lead that the Wildcats never relinquished. That one was far too similar to the pick six Richardson threw against Georgia last year. “The second one, flashback to the Georgia game,” Richardson said. “I just threw it right to the dude.” Those were the two critical mistakes everyone will point to as the reason the twitterverse was alive with disparaging remarks about Richardson’s play. Certainly, if he could have those throws back, he would gladly try something else. File that under coulda, woulda and shoulda. There are no do-overs in football, that is, unless the zebras intervene as they did following the first of Richard’s two interceptions. The Wildcats had second-and-goal at the Florida five when Trey Dean III blitzed from the left side, forcing Will Levis to throw incomplete, but center judge Tom Fimmen flagged Dean for roughing the passer. Levis was outside the tackle box running for his life when Dean tackled him around his legs. It was a football play but Fimmen made a phantom call. Rather than third-and-goal The Wildcats got a gift first down at the UF two. Two plays later Will Levis scored the TD that cut Florida’s lead to 16-13. The way the Florida defense was playing, there is every good possibility the Gators would have held the Wildcats to a field goal attempt. That was a monumental shift in momentum that carried over to the third quarter and the entire second half. And yet, in spite of Kentucky having all that momentum, the Gators still had chances to pull this one out. “We gave them a pick six and a short field after an interception,” Florida head coach Billy Napier said. “Two touchdowns in the game. Ultimately, it’s hard to win when you do that. It’s a tribute to the team that you have an opportunity to win the game and overcome those things.” Napier didn’t mention the jump ball that accounted for Kentucky’s first touchdown. It was a 55-yard heave from Levis to Dane Key at the goal line early in the second quarter when the Gators held a 3-0 lead. Key and Florida corner Jalen Kimber went up for the ball simultaneously. Key had control of the ball going down, but even though replays showed the ball on the grass, the replay booth ruled that Key had possession. So, a jump ball for a TD that could have been picked if Kimber was a little stronger or perhaps could jump an inch higher, a short field TD aided by a ridiculous roughing the passer penalty and a pick six. Plus, there was a Kentucky field goal with 1:24 to go in the fourth quarter that put the game out of reach (26-16). That one was UK’s response to the Gators going for it on fourth-and-six at their own 24 with 4:02 left, a decision Napier made because he was unsure if the Gators would get the ball back if they punted the ball away. There were opportunities for the Gators to win this game in spite of themselves. It’s far too easy to point fingers at Richardson. He didn’t play at the same level he played at a week ago when he was on fire against Utah. His mistakes were costly, but he heaped too much responsibility on himself for the loss. As he stood at the microphone, he would only blame himself. “I feel like I let everybody down, especially the defense because I looked everybody on the defense in the eyes and I told them that I've got them but obviously I didn't,” Richardson said. “I turned the ball over twice, three times, I fumbled the ball once. So, tough loss, I've got to play better for the team and the university." Yes, he does have to play better if the Gators are to win games against quality opponents, and make no mistake about it, Kentucky is a quality opponent. Give the Wildcats their due. They had a good game plan, stuck with it even when the Gators had opportunities to run away with it early on when receivers were running free in the secondary, and they made the right adjustments in the second half. Those open shots that were there in the first half weren't there in the second. The second half opportunities were fewer and much farther between. Florida lost the game but pinning the blame on Anthony Richardson isn’t the right thing to do. That's something Napier was quick to acknowledge in his post-game remarks. “Anthony can do things better,” Napier said. “That starts with me. I think part of coaching is putting your players in position where they can have success. We made mistakes tonight. Anthony made mistakes. I made mistakes. That’s the beautiful thing about the game of football. It requires hundreds of people to have success, but hundreds of people contribute when you don’t maybe get the results that you want. I think sometimes the quarterback position will get that spotlight put on ya. Reality is, there’s things around you that can be done better, that contribute to quarterback play.” Things like better pass protection. Things like receivers hanging on to the ball. Things like the right play calls at the right time. The list goes on but those are the kind of things that will have to be ironed out in practice. The Gators played well enough to win last week against Utah and Utah probably looks back on that game with the same woulda, coulda, shoulda that Florida fans are seeing after losing to Kentucky. The Gators played inconsistently Saturday night against Kentucky, yet for all their flaws, mistakes and imperfections, a play here, a play there and the Gators probably win. If that had happened, it would be Kentucky fans talking about the bad punt snap that gave the Gators a safety or the bad snap on the missed extra point or the hooked field goal in the fourth quarter. Kentucky, you see, made its share of mistakes, too. The difference in the game was Florida’s mistakes were more glaring and consequential. The timing of the big mistakes couldn't have been worse. That’s hardly consolation for Anthony Richardson. All during the week there were quotes from scouts and observers that he was a genuine first rounder in the next NFL Draft. Sure, if he played like he did against Utah. No way if he plays like he did against Kentucky. We tend to forget this was just his third start as a collegiate quarterback, all three against ranked opponents. He hasn't had a chance to get comfortable as a starter in paycheck games against outmatched opponents. He isn’t polished. He isn’t consistent. The tools are all there to be exceptional if he ever harnesses all the aspects of the game that bring out greatness. Richardson is talented and conscientious enough that he will go to work starting today to do his best to get a little bit better. Next week he will have a chance to put improvement on full display at The Swamp when South Florida comes to Gainesville. As naturally gifted as he is, there are probably going to be games like Utah in the future. What has to be avoided are more games like Kentucky. That will come with maturity and experience. For one night, at least, Richardson will spend far too much time reliving every mistake, every overthrow, every missed read. Napier says Richardson is his own toughest critic. It showed in the way he spoke to the media after the game. Had he chosen, he could have ducked out and who could have blamed him, but he chose to own it. “I feel like I took a step back from the Utah win and I shot myself in the foot this game,” Richardson said. “Just got to grind a little harder. Just trying to pick my teammates up. Everybody’s counting on me, and I’m definitely counting on them.” It is a team game after all, and it requires everyone counting on each other. Billy Napier says the counting starts at the top with the head coach, trickles down to the assistant coaches and throughout the organization. If things go wrong – and they did far too frequently – the first place Napier said he will look is in the mirror. “I think when you are in a leadership position and things are not going the way they should go or you want them to go you’ve got to take ownership of that,” Napier said. “That’s exactly what I’m going to do. That’s the coach’s job to put the players in position to have success. We did that at times tonight and we can help them a little more, but we’ll evaluate the film. I think execution comes down to coaching. We didn’t execute very well at times tonight. We had a lot of opportunities there we missed early in particular but as the game went you got to call it for what it is, you can do better.” Yes, the Gators can do better. It’s too early to call this a defining loss. We’ll see in the days and weeks to come how the Gators deal with the adversity of losing. A week ago, they kept coming back from adversity to score a win over Utah. Now, they have to deal with a loss in which there was opportunity to come back from adversity. How they respond will go a long way toward determining what kind of season they will have going forward.

“Who's soft now?” Stoops screamed at his players following the victory in The Swamp When Richardson dropped back, he often overthrew. (Chris Spears Photo) . By KYLE CURTIS GatorBaitMedia.com While many things went poorly for the Gators on Saturday night on the offensive side of things, Kentucky’s defense showed up. There was a bit of prior motivation for not only the Wildcats’ defense but the whole team leading up to the game. On the Paul Finebaum show earlier in the week Roman Harper, a former NFL safety, predicted that not only Florida would beat Kentucky but also took a shot at Mark Stoops’ ball club. “Use me as ammo, if you need it, I’m feeding it to you right now, Kentucky Wildcats,” Harper said. “But if you want to win this game, you’ve got to stop Florida up front. Kentucky looked a little softer, I hate using the word softer, but they were not as physical running the football.” Kentucky used it as ammo. The Florida offense could not find any rhythm all night and made Anthony Richardson look like he did not belong on the field, later proclaiming his performance as "terrible.' Kentucky's defense imposed its will on the Gators, both schematically and physically. After the game, Mark Stoops addressed the “soft” comments made in the locker room. “Who's soft now?” Stoops screamed at his players following the victory in The Swamp. Nonetheless, this Florida offense did not look like the same team from just a week ago. Richardson, who catapulted himself into the Heisman conversation following last week’s performance, but just as quickly lost momentum after last week. Richardson never seemed comfortable all night, overthrowing open receivers or just flat-out making the wrong read. After a bad snap by Kentucky on a punt resulting in a safety, the momentum seemed to be in the Gators' favor. Richardson turned the ball over on an errant throw resulting in Kentucky snatching the momentum right back. As frustrating a game as it was for Gator fans, Florida had every chance to get back in this game. Even Coach Billy Napier noted of the missed opportunities that it was a "tribute to the team that had a chance" at the end. “I take full responsibility for the loss,” Richardson said. “I feel like I let everybody down, especially the defense. I played terrible… I didn’t do anything to help my team… I got to play better for them and the University.” While Richardson and the rest of the Gator’s offense struggled to find a rhythm, there were still a few bright spots. (Chris Spears Photo) Brenton Cox along with Gervon Dexter wreaked havoc for Kentucky all night for the Gators' front seven. Cox and Dexter teamed up to make Will Levis’ night as miserable as they could constantly finding themselves in the backfield. Without the defense’s performance, the game would not have come down to the final few drives. Additionally, along with a strong performance from Patrick Toney and his defense, the lone bright spot from the offense was Trevor Etienne. The true freshman cemented his role in this Florida’s backfield as he was gaining chunk yardage all night making the first guy miss. Etienne scored his first touchdown in the orange and blue along with converting a two-point conversion. Etienne is turning into a star. The Gators are now ranked 18th in the AP Poll, dropping six spots from last week’s position. Florida will host USF Saturday and look to get back on track.

FIRST HALF Ventrell Miller was starting for the Gators after being questionable going into the week and forced a fumble on the game's first possession. True freshman Shemar James notched his first career sack in the first half on the second drive in Tennessee's territory. The first-quarter total offense for each team is equal after standing at 128 yards a piece. The Gators logged 9:43 in time of possession in the first quarter compared to Tennessee's 5:17. Anthony Richardson recorded his first touchdown pass of the season in the second quarter to put the Gators up 7-3 on a Keon Zipperer 44-yard touchdown reception. Anthony Richardson's pass to Ricky Pearsall in the first half marks Anthony Richardson's career-high for passing yards in a game at 193. Anthony Richardson puts the Gators back up with a rushing touchdown to combat Tennessee's three-play 75-yard touchdown drive to put the Gators back on top 14-10. Amari Burney with a fourth-down sack on quarterback Hendon Hooker to force a fumble recovered by Ventrell Miller in Florida Territory with a little over five minutes left in the first half. Tennesse finishes off the half with a nine-play 99-yard drive resulting in a touchdown to put them up before the half ends in only 2:43, highlighted by a Ramel Keyton full-extension 43-yard catch. SECOND HALF Tennesse scores on the opening drive of the second half on a 16-yard pass to Jabari Small out of the backfield and the Volunteers are up to 405 total yards on offense with 12 minutes to go in the third. Florida scores their first points in the third quarter of the season on Anthony Richardson's QB sneak at the goal line. Billy Napier was flagged with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty with Tennessee on the goal-line after a controversial timeout/delay of game call by the refs. Tennessee scores on the ensuing play stretching the Vols' lead back to two scores. He was mainly upset over the amount of time it took to review a play. "I lost my poise and didn't represent our team," Napier said afterward. "I didn't represent the University of Florida in the right way. This is the first time Florida Gators have started 0-2 in SEC play since 1986. This is the first loss to Tennessee since 2016 and the second since 2004. Anthony Richardson finishes with 515 yards of total offense (career-high) along with two touchdowns each in the air and on the ground. The Gators outgained the Volunteers in total yards 596 to 576.

A few thoughts to jump start your Tuesday morning: THE PLAN WAS TO WIN THE FOOTBALL GAME NOT TRY FOR A TIE AND OVERTIME It turns out there was method to what Brad Nessler and Gary Danielson of CBS plus a whole bunch of other so-called experts called madness Saturday afternoon at Neyland Stadium. In question was Billy Napier’s decision to go for a two-point conversion after the Gators had finished off a 75-yard scoring drive with 4:49 to go in the fourth quarter that cut the Tennessee margin from 17 to 11 points. Nessler, Danielson and so many others argued that the Gators should have kicked the extra point, which would have made it a 10-point game, so a touchdown, extra point and field goal could have sent the game to overtime. That’s conventional wisdom. The Gators did score another touchdown, but they missed that two-point conversion, too. When UF’s Diwun Black recovered Florida’s onside kick, the Gators were left with only a Hail Mary chance to win, which failed when Anthony Richardson was hit as he threw. That drew a lot of see I told you so’s from the media and fans alike, but Napier defended his decision at his Monday press conference, pointing out that UF was there to win the football game. “There are two avenues when you really dig into the number about the approach there,” Napier said. “First of all, you start talking about playing for a tie. Wheh you’re on the road, there’s a slight advantage for a home team in overtime and there’s certainly a bigger advantage when you’re a two-score favorite. I think it’s around 60-63 percent advantage if you’re the home team playing overtime and you’re a two-score favorite. So, that goes into your decision-making and really, all you’re trying to do is declare the path earlier in the game. “So you go for two there, and if you get it, you’re at nine. Okay, now you’re in a position to win the game with an extra point, whereas if you don’t get it now, you’re still two scores down with an extra opportunity to go for two. So, if you kick it, ultimately, the numbers are going to tell you to go for two anyways at the end of the game anyway to win the game. So you’re just declaring the path quicker, and that gives you a chance to adjust your strategy the rest of the game.” Follow the logic here. Down 38-27, the Gators got the ball back and drove 71 yards in seven plays, eating 54 seconds off the clock. Florida cut the lead to 38-33 on a three-yard pass from Richardson to Ricky Pearsall. When the Gators went for two, Richardson had Justin Shorter open in the end zone for the conversion that would have put the Gators in position to tie the game with a field goal. Richardson threw but tight end Keon Zipperer didn’t see Shorter along the back line of the end zone. He reached with one hand and deflected the ball away. “Heck, we tip our own pass there, we get the two-point conversion,” Napier said. “We’re in the right play. We made the right decision.” Make the two-point conversion there and the strategy in the final 17 seconds certainly would have been different. After Black made a spectacular one-handed grab to secure the onside kick for UF, the Gators would have needed 18 yards to be within proven field goal range of Adam Mihalek to tie the game. In Napier’s way of thinking, that’s when going for the tie would have made sense, but not before. “This is one of those paths you go down where a lot of people don’t understand but we’re going to make our decision-making off of research and evidence and true facts and numbers,” Napier said. “So it is what it is.” One last thought here: Napier went for it on fourth down six times during the game. The Gators converted five of them. So, why wouldn’t he have believed the Gators were going to make those two-point conversions? File this loss under the category “Scared money don’t make money.” SEC football No. 2 Alabama (4-0, 1-0 SEC): Alabama’s offensive line will be tested Saturday by an Arkansas pass rush that has sacked opposing quarterbacks 20 times, which leads the nation. A year ago Alabama gave up 41 sacks, but so far the Tide has allowed Bryce Young to be sacked only four times … CBS will air the October 8 showdown in Tuscaloosa between Alabama and Texas A&M at 7 p.m. No. 20 Arkansas (3-1, 1-1 SEC): The Hogs have run for more than 200 yards in every game so far including 244 last week against Texas A&M. Saturday they will be facing an Alabama defense that is fourth in the nation in stopping the run (62.5 yards per game and just 1.84 per carry). Auburn (3-1, 1-0 SEC): Starting center Tate Johnson will be out 6-8 weeks with an elbow injury that has required surgery. Injured QB TJ Finley, who didn’t play against Missouri, practiced Monday and is day-to-day for Saturday’s game with LSU. No. 1 Georgia (4-0, 1-0 SEC): Kirby Smart said Monday that he is hopeful injured wide receivers AD Mitchell and Arian Smith will be available to play Saturday when the Bulldogs face Missouri. Smart also hopes D-tackle Jalen Carter will be able to play. He’s played in a limited role the last two games because of a nagging ankle injury … Defensive back Javon Bullard was tested twice for DUI. His blood-alcohol level came back at .143 and .148. The legal limit is .08. No. 7 Kentucky (4-0, 1-0 SEC): Running back Chris Rodriguez, suspended the first four games because of a DUI arrest, will return Saturday when the Wildcats face No. 14 Ole Miss in Oxford. LSU (3-1, 1-0 SEC): Arkansas transfer safety Joe Foucha, who sat out the first four games while some academic credit issues were being cleared up, is now eligible to play. Mississippi State (3-1, 0-1 SEC): Anticipating what he will see from Aggie defensive coordinator DJ Durkin Saturday, HBC Mike Leach said Monday, “A lot of zone.” … Mississippi State has opened up as a 3.5-point favorite over Texas A&M despite the Aggies winning their last two games over ranked opponents. Missouri (1-3, 0-1 SEC): Freshman Luther Burden, who was the nation’s top 2022 wide receiver recruit, has deleted everything Missouri including all his photos from his Instagram bio. Burden didn’t get a touch in Mizzou’s 17-14 loss to Auburn and has only 10 catches for 78 yards and a TD to go with seven carries for 40 yards and a TD all season. No. 14 Ole Miss (4-0, 0-0 SEC): Ole Miss hopes to be at full strength against No. 7 Kentucky Saturday in Oxford with running backs Zach Evans and Ulysses Bentley IV healthy along with receiver Jaylon Robinson, defensive tackle JJ Pegues and linebacker Khari Coleman … Their anticipated return may have something to do with the Rebels opening up as a 6.5-point favorite to take down the Wildcats. South Carolina (2-2, 0-2 SEC): Defensive back Darius Rush and left tackle Dylan Wonnum are questionable for Saturday’s game with South Carolina State. No. 10 Tennessee (4-0, 1-0 SEC): The win over Florida was essentially the Vols’ Super Bowl since it was only their second win over the Gators in 18 years and just their eighth over the Gators since 1990. Now, Vol fans are talking about making the College Football Playoff. Don’t they still have to play Alabama and Georgia? No. 17 Texas A&M (3-1, 1-0 SEC): Wide receiver Ainias Smith, the Aggies’ most dynamic playmaker, is done for the season with what is only being described as a serious lower leg injury. Smith had 15 catches for 291 yards and two touchdowns. Vanderbilt (3-2, 0-1 SEC): With Vanderbilt down 14-3 to Alabama in the second quarter, HBC Clark Lea elected to go for it on fourth-and-one from the Vandy 34. Defending his decision, Lea said, “It’s fourth-and-one and I’m gonna bet on my team. That’s part of our identity. We’re playing to win the game.” Our SEC orphans in the Big 12 No. 18 Oklahoma (3-1, 0-1 Big 12): Addressing the abundance of missed tackles in the Sooners’ 41-34 loss to Kansas State, defensive coordinator Ted Roof said, “We didn’t do a good job at the end of the night. Again, everything that went wrong is my fault. I’ve got to help everybody get that fixed.” Texas (2-2, 0-1 Big 12): The Longhorns have blown fourth quarter leads in both of their losses including a 14-point giveaway in Saturday’s loss to Texas Tech in Lubbock. Finebaum says … On WJOX Monday morning, Paul Finebaum spoke in rather grim terms about both the Auburn and Missouri football programs, but he saved his worst comments for Auburn coach Bryan Harsin: “I don’t know what I would have done had I been in the stadium in the Auburn section, or even worse, on the Missouri sideline. Listen, there’s nothing else I can add in terms of the ineptitude, but I just came away really depressed about both programs and the future of both programs. To me, the Bryan Harsin conversation has nowhere to go. It’s over for Bryan Harsin. He’s made no compelling argument to keep his job. You can celebrate a win and scream ‘War Eagle’ guys, but watch his coaching during that game. It was sad.” Football played somewhere beside the SEC Georgia Tech (1-3, 0-1 ACC): Fired football coach Geoff Collins will have to squeeze by on $11.3 million, which is what Tech is paying him to clear out his office and not coach football. Tech also fired athletic director Todd Stansbury, presumably because he hired Collins and then didn’t fire him after the Yellow Jackets went 3-9 last year. Texas Tech (3-1, 1-0 Big 12): Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire is a former high school head coach. Seven of his assistant coaches are also former head coaches at the high school level. The ACC: ACC referees are notorious for their incompetence. The sideline zebra who called offside on a Notre Dame field goal attempt against California, has been suspended. Upon review, there was no offside. Two plays after being given a first down, Notre Dame went on to score a TD and won the game, 24-17. Middle Tennessee (3-1): Blue Raiders quarterback Chase Cunningham had touchdown passes of 71, 69 and 98 yards against Miami in addition to an 89-yard completion. Cunningham had 408 passing yards on just 16 completions in 25 attempts. ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: One-third of Florida’s regular season is in the books and the Gators are 2-2, one win ahead of where many of the talking heads thought the Gators would be back before the season began. Looking back on September, it’s easy to see that the Gators have given away the losses to Kentucky and Tennessee. Of course, the folks at Utah and South Florida are saying the exact same thing. Both of them think the snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. There are eight games remaining in the regular season providing Hurricane Ian doesn’t force postponement of Saturday’s game with Eastern Washington at The Swamp. In a perfect world, the Gators win all eight and finish the regular season 10-2, but this isn’t a perfect world. It might take a miracle of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego emerging from the fiery furnace without a single hair singed proportions for UF to go 10-2 since LSU, Georgia, (at) Texas A&M and (at) Florida State remain on the schedule. A 9-3 record is do-able although it’s going to take some road wins to get there. Going 8-4 won’t be easy, but it can be done. If the Gators stop making critical mistakes that give games away, we might be shocked at just how good they are when the regular season concludes.

KYLE CURTIS:

By Loren Meadows GatorBaitmedia.com Football Analyst

A few thoughts to jump start your Monday morning: “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” – Laozi At some point the Florida Gators are going to put it all together and when they do they might be that team nobody wants to play. Through their first four games, they’ve shown they are capable in all phases of the game, but thus far they’ve given two games away (Kentucky and Tennessee) that they could have won and won two games (Utah and South Florida) that they probably should have lost. The Gators are 2-2 and could be any combination that equals four from 0-4 to 4-0. The two teams the Gators beat are certain they should have won the game. The Gators are certain they should have won the two games they lost including Saturday’s 38-33 loss to Tennessee in Knoxville. The inconsistency is maddening, yet at the same time telling. The Gators are the only team in the country to play three top ten programs – Utah, 12th now but 7th when the Gators played them, now No. 7 Kentucky and now No. 10 Tennessee. That they are 2-2 playing that schedule with one of the younger rosters in the country says a lot about the coaching. Fans screamed for the two weeks prior to Tennessee that the offense stunk. Then came 33 points and 597 yards against the Vols. Now they’re screaming about the defense which gave up 38 points and 576 yards. In reality, Napier is systematically solving one problem at a time. What the Gators did on offense at UT showed he knows what he’s doing. The Gators came out throwing, which defied conventional wisdom. Instead of ground and pound, the Gators lit up the UT secondary. The same Anthony Richardson who seemed so tentative against Kentucky and South Florida threw for 453 yards. Justin Shorter caught seven passes for 155 yards, Ricky Pearsall caught five balls for 103 and a TD, and tight end Keon Zipperer caught a pass from Richardson that he turned into a 44-yard touchdown by running over people. Moving forward, we know the Gators have explosive capabilities on offense if Richardson can throw like he did against UT. The defense was the issue against the Vols. Tennessee had 17 big plays – 10 in the passing game that netted 279 yards and seven in the running game that netted 150. Of the Vols’ 576 yards, 429 came on those 17 plays that averaged 25.2 yards. On the other 43 plays, UT netted 147 yards, or 3.41 per play. You can win with 3.41 per play. You can’t win with 25.2. It should be noted that only seven of the 35 defensive players who have seen the field this year are upperclassmen. It’s not making excuses to talk inexperience. The Gators are young. No denying that. It’s also a team that had a losing record and serious attitude problems playing for the previous coach last year. Attitudes are a thing of the past. Things are getting better. This is a journey. Try to remember we’re only a few steps into it. Associated Press top 25: 1. Georgia 4-0; 2. Alabama 4-0; 3. Ohio State 4-0; 4. Michigan 4-0; 5. Clemson 4-0; 6. Southern Cal 4-0; 7. Kentucky 4-0; 8. Tennessee 4-0; 9. Oklahoma State 3-0; 10. North Carolina State 4-0; 11. Penn State 4-0; 12. Utah 3-1; 13. Oregon 3-1; 14. Ole Miss 4-0; 15. Washington 4-0; 16. Baylor 3-1; 17. Texas A&M 3-1; 18. Oklahoma 3-1; 19. BYU 3-1; 20. Arkansas 3-1; 21. Minnesota 4-0; 22. Wake Forest 3-1; 23. Florida State 4-0; 24. Pittsburgh 3-1; 25. Kansas State 3-1 AFCA Coaches top 25: 1. Georgia 4-0; 2. Alabama 4-0; 3. Ohio State 4-0; 4. Michigan 4-0; 5. Clemson 4-0; 6. Southern Cal 4-0; 7. Oklahoma State 3-0; 8. Kentucky 4-0; 9. Tennessee 4-0; 10. North Carolina State 4-0; 11. Ole Miss 4-0; 12. Penn State 4-0; 13. Utah 3-1; 14. Baylor 3-1; 15. Oregon 3-1; 16. Oklahoma 3-1; 17. Texas A&M 3-1; 18. Washington 4-0; 19. Arkansas 3-1; 20. BYU 3-1; 21. Wake Forest 3-1; 22. Florida State 4-0; 23. Minnesota 4-0; 24. Pittsburgh 3-1; 25. Syracuse 4-0 SEC football No. 2 Alabama (4-0, 1-0 SEC): Starting defensive lineman Byron Young left the Vanderbilt game with a sprained ankle … Although none of them saw action against Vanderbilt, wide receiver Tyrell Harrell, JoJo Earle and Aaron Anderson dressed and went through warmups. All three are expected to be available for Arkansas. Next week: at No. 20 Arkansas (3-1, 1-1 SEC) No. 20 Arkansas (3-1, 1-1 SEC): There are boinks and then there is what happened to Cam Little at the end of the Hogs’ 23-21 loss to the Aggies. Little’s 42-yard field goal attempt that would have won the game, boinked the TOP of the right upright of the goal posts and then fell into the end zone. Next week: vs. No. 2 Alabama (4-0, 1-0 SEC) Auburn (3-1, 1-0 SEC): The buzzards are circling the Auburn football complex. After a 17-14 win over Missouri in which the Tigers netted 217 yards of offense, HBC Bryan Harsin’s tenure at Auburn seems to be coming to an end, particularly with LSU, (at) Georgia; (at Ole Miss) and Arkansas next up on the schedule. Next week: vs. LSU (3-1, 1-0 SEC) No. 1 Georgia (4-0, 1-0 SEC): Cracks in Georgia’s invincible armor? The Bulldogs turned the ball over three times against lowly Kent State and had to settle for three field goals in the red zone. The Poodles’ 39-22 win over a team both Washington and Oklahoma blew out was less than inspiring … Defensive back Javon Bullard was arrested Saturday night for a DUI and seven other misdemeanor charges. Next week: at Missouri (1-3, 0-1 SEC) No. 7 Kentucky (4-0, 1-0 SEC): Despite a 31-23 win over Kent State in which the Wildcats couldn’t run the football, UK moved up to No. 7 in the AP poll. There are grave concerns with the offensive line. The Wildcats couldn’t run on Kent State and they’re only running for 81.5 yards per game, plus they’ve allowed 16 sacks, worst in the SEC and 129th in the country. Next week: at No. 14 Ole Miss (4-0, 0-0 SEC) LSU (3-1, 1-0 SEC): With the Tigers leading New Mexico 24-0, quarterback Jayden Daniels left the game with a back injury. Daniels was 24-29 for 279 yards. Next week: at Auburn (3-1, 1-0 SEC) Mississippi State (3-1, 0-1 SEC): Will Rogers has thrown for 1,386 yards and 16 touchdowns in four games, tops in the SEC and second nationally. Rogers is completing 74.1 percent (140-189) of his passes. Next week: vs. No. 17 Texas A&M (3-1, 1-0 SEC) Missouri (1-3, 0-1 SEC): The Tigers lost to Auburn in overtime when running back Nathan Peat fumbled at trying to switch the ball from his left to his right hand. Next week: vs. No. 1 Georgia (4-0, 1-0 SEC) No. 14 Ole Miss (4-0, 0-0 SEC): Zach Evans, who had 10 carries for 48 yards and a TD at the half, was held out of the second half of the Rebels 35-27 win over Tulsa for what HBC Lane Kiffin called “a medical thing.” The Rebels ran for 304 yards in the game. Next week: vs. No. 7 Kentucky (4-0, 1-0 SEC) South Carolina (2-2, 0-2 SEC): In the Gamecocks 56-20 win over Charlotte, Marshawn Lloyd had a career day with 169 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Next week: vs. South Carolina State No. 8 Tennessee (4-0, 1-0 SEC): After his performance against Florida, Hendon Hooker is moving up the list of Heisman Trophy candidates. Through four games, Hooker has completed 71.7 precent of his passes for 1,193 yards (10.6 per attempt) and eight touchdowns without an interception. He has run for 175 yards and three touchdowns. Next week: Open date No. 17 Texas A&M (3-1, 1-0 SEC): The Aggies are 2-0 with Max Johnson at quarterback, which has everybody wondering why Jimbo Fisher started Haynes King in the first two games … Ainias Smith suffered a high ankle sprain in the win over Arkansas, which is likely to limit his production in the next few weeks. Next week: at Mississippi State (3-1, 0-1 SEC) Vanderbilt (3-2, 0-1 SEC): In losing to Alabama, 55-3, the Commodores had 14 rushing yards and 115 through the air in 52 snaps. Next week: Open date Our SEC orphans in the Big 12 No. 18 Oklahoma (3-1, 0-1 Big 12): The loss to Kansas State followed a familiar script. The Sooners put up 34 points and 550 yards of offense, but the defense gave up 41 points and 509 yards including 275 on the ground. Next week: at TCU (3-0, 0-0 Big 12) Texas (2-2, 0-1 Big 12): Quinn Ewers made the trip to Lubbock and dressed out but didn’t play. Will he get the start this week against West Virginia or will Steve Sarkisian hold him out until Oklahoma in two weeks? Next week: vs. West Virginia (2-2, 0-1 Big 12) Football played somewhere beside the SEC Georgia Tech (1-3, 0-1 ACC): Multiple sources are reporting that Georgia Tech has pink slipped Geoff Collins, who was 10-28. The athletic association board of trustees will meet this morning to also determine the fate of athletic director Todd Stansbury. Expect Collins to join Nick Saban’s staff as an analyst. He was Saban’s director of player personnel in 2008. No. 25 Kansas State (3-1, 1-0 Big 12): Quarterback Adrian Martinez, who spent four years as the fan base’s whipping boy at Nebraska, ran for 148 yards and four touchdowns, plus threw for 234 yards and a TD to lead the Wildcats past then 6th-ranked Oklahoma. No. 6 Southern Cal (4-0, 2-0 Pac-12): Southern Cal’s vaunted offense managed only 357 yards in a 17-14 win over weak Oregon State yet the Trojans moved up in the AP and Coaches polls. Kansas (4-0, 0-0 Big 12): The Jayhawks had an unbeaten September, which is somewhat of a shock considering the last time a Kansas team won four games in an entire season was 2009. The Jayhawks are averaging 48.5 points and 471.8 yards per game. Miami (2-2, 0-0 ACC): It’s one thing to lose a grinder by eight on the road at Texas A&M but how does Mario Cristobal explain the Hurricanes getting hosed at home 45-31 by a Conference USA team (Middle Tennessee) that was a 25.5-point underdog? ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: There was a time when Georgia Tech was one of the nation’s most relevant football programs. John Heisman won a national championship there in 1917. Bill Alexander won one in 1928. Bobby Dodd won in 1952 and was awarded obscure national titles for 1951 and 1956. Bobby Ross won a share of the national title (by UPI) in 1990. The last time Tech was close to national prominence since Ross was 2009 when Paul Johnson beat Clemson, first year head coach Dabo Swinney and offensive coordinator Billy Napier to win the ACC championship. Since Johnson retired after the 2018 season, Geoff Collins has overseen a serious decline in the program that resulted in his firing Sunday evening. Already the speculation is that Tech will make Jackson State head coach Deon Sanders its No. 1 target. It would make sense if Tech wants a charismatic leader who basically needs no introduction wherever he goes. At Jackson State, Deon has proven he can recruit and that’s without the kind of resources he would have at his disposal at Georgia Tech. Unleash him among the abundance of talent in Metro Atlanta and some of the best kids might start thinking they would rather play at Georgia Tech than for Kirby Smart over in Athens. Additionally, Deon Sanders might be the one football coach who can tap into the rather substantial upper middle class African-American community that lives rather luxuriously in gated communities east of Atlanta. Hiring Deon Sanders would seem to be a no-brainer of a hire. Let’s see if Georgia Tech has the brains to do it.

In his post game remarks following Florida’s 38-33 loss to 11th-ranked Tennessee Saturday at Neyland Stadium, Billy Napier said, “I think when we go back and watch film, there’s going to be 12-to-15 plays where Florida beats Florida tonight.” Take nothing away from Tennessee. The Vols made the plays, whether they were because of well-designed calls where the ball got in the hands of the right player at just the right moment or blown coverages or missed tackles by the Gators. Tennessee did what it needed to do to win the football game. Florida did not. A handful of those plays where Florida beat Florida were on offense and special teams. A majority were on the defense, which had all sorts of problems keeping Hendon Hooker contained when the pocket broke down. When the Gators couldn’t get pressure, Hooker threw darts. He finished the game with 13 carries for 112 yards on the ground, good for one touchdown. He completed 22-28 passes for 349 yards and two touchdowns. When the weekly Heisman candidate lists come out Sunday and Monday, Hooker’s numbers should have him prominent among the leaders. Of the 576 yards the Florida defense gave up, 429 came on 17 plays: 10 pass plays of 15 or more yards that were good for 279 yards and seven running plays of 10 or more yards that were good for 150. It’s rare you win football games when your defense not only finds it impossible to get critical stops but allows receivers to run free into the secondary unchecked. Every Tennessee touchdown was aided by at least one big play that could have and should have been stopped, either cold or for a minimal gain. Tennessee’s first touchdown came on a three-play drive that covered 75 yards after Florida had taken a 7-3 lead in the second quarter. On first down, Hooker found an uncovered Bru McCoy running all alone. The play covered an easy 70 yards to the UF five before Rashad Torrence II caught up with him to run him out of bounds. Two plays later, Hooker scored on a four-yard run. Of Hooker’s 112 rushing yards, 100 of them came on five carries, one of which was a 10-yard dagger late in the first half that helped shift the momentum of the game from Florida to Tennessee. The Vols had third-and-10 at their own 12 when the Florida pass rush seemed to have him cornered. He escaped the rush, found Princeton Fant open in the middle of the field and threw a 10-yard dart to move the chains. “It is third-and-10 and we’re trying to get it back on a short field and we have the guy dead to rights,” Napier said. “We had a great call and the guy escapes and makes a great play on the perimeter.” Instead of a punt that could have led to the Gators extending their 14-10 lead, the Vols had a fresh set of downs and 1:33 on the clock to work with. On the very next play, Ramel Keyton got behind the UF secondary and laid out for a 43-yard catch on a nicely thrown ball from Hooker. There were 46 seconds remaining in the half, an eternity the way the Vols run their offense. Five plays later Hooker threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to McCoy that put the Vols up 17-14 at the half. On their first drive of the third quarter Jabari Small exploded through a hole wide enough to drive a truck through for 39 yards before he was run out of bounds at the Florida 28. A couple of plays later, it was third-and-7 at the Florida 25 when the ball was snapped over Hooker’s head for what would have been a 15-yard loss that would have taken the Vols out of field goal range. However, Princely Umanmielen was offsides on the play, nullifying the loss and moving the ball to the UF 20. On third-and-2 Small got the first down. He would catch a 16-yard TD against non-existent coverage from Hooker to finish out the drive with 12:08 left in the quarter. Two explosive plays and one penalty put the Gators down 24-14. When the Gators countered with a touchdown drive of their own to reduce the deficit to 24-21, the Vols came right back with a 34-yard kickoff return from Jimmy Holiday followed by a 44-yard first down scramble by Hooker who was run down by Ventrell Miller at the UF 18. On the next play, Hooker connected once again with Princeton Fant for 16 yards to the UF two. Small put the Vols up 31-21 a couple plays later. On the first play of what proved to be the game-winning touchdown drive, Hooker had an easy toss and catch that covered 45 yards to tight end Jacob Warren, who was completely uncovered. If it had been one of the UT wide receivers, it would have gone down as an 87-yard touchdown pass. No matter, the Vols scored eight plays later to go ahead 38-21 with 7:55 left in the game. That Florida came back in the final 7:55 to actually have a shot at winning the game says a lot about the character of this team. They never gave up and that is commendable The fact that the Gators could gain 594 yards, put 33 points on the scoreboard and lose is not commendable. It tells us that Billy Napier has plenty of holes that will have to be plugged. Nobody knows that more than Billy Napier, who warned before the Gators made the trip to Knoxville that they had to keep Hooker contained so he couldn’t tuck and run to turn potential disaster plays into positive yardage. Yet, for the fourth straight game, the Gators failed to set the edge and once again, they paid a severe price. Still, Florida couldn’t mount a consistent enough pass rush. Far too often Hooker had a clean pocket from which he threw accurate passes to receivers so wide open they must have thought this was nothing more than skeleton drills in practice. It was concerning how few times the Florida secondary had decent coverage. UF has some very talented players in the secondary, but whether it was scheme, communication or just a bad day at the office, there were only a handful of plays made because they had the receiver blanketed. In his post game remarks when he brought attention to the 12-to-15 plays that he said Florida beat Florida, Napier said, “When you think about that, you think about coaching, right? That’s my responsibility.” The buck does stop with Billy Napier. It is a team game but ultimately, the finger of blame always points to the man in charge who is responsible to get the team improved and ready to play. Players have to get better but it all starts with the head coach, then trickles down to the assistants and the rest of the football staff to get the players ready for the next game. For the last two weeks, the fickle finger of Florida’s fate has been pointed at an anemic offense. It was the offense that was the culprit in a loss to Kentucky that quite frankly, should have been a Florida win if not for the giveaways and bad plays. A week ago there was a great escape against South Florida. The Gators got a win in a game that would have been a loss except for two bizarre bad snaps in three plays when it seemed the Bulls were about to walk out of The Swamp with a win no one would have predicted. Saturday in Knoxville, the offense came out of its shell and provided the Gators with a winning performance. The problem was the defense chose this night to go AWOL. The good news on the horizon. The next three games will be in Gainesville starting with next Saturday’s close encounter with D1AA Eastern Washington (1-2). Eastern Washington should be akin to a glorified scrimmage so Napier and his staff have, for all practical purposes, two weeks to re-evaluate what they’re doing with the defense and plug as many holes as possible before their next SEC game against Missouri on October 8 followed by LSU on October 15. Georgia looms in Jacksonville on October 29, so the Gators have a long way to go and only a short time to get there. UF is 0-2 in the SEC, which means any faint hopes they had of somehow winning the East Division are dead and gone. Napier tried his best to put a positive spin on SEC loss No. 2, another game the Gators will have to come to grips with as a game they gave away. “Well, I think when we evaluate the tape … there’s going to be things we can do better in all three areas of our team,” Napier said. “Players, coaches, in-game decision-making, fundamentals, communication, and that’s where we’re at. That’s exactly where we’re at as a football team. So, we need more repetitions, and we need to stay the course. And I’m confident in our process and I’m confident in this group and their attitude towards the work, and I know they’ll respond the right way.” It turns out that this Florida football team is every bit the work in progress that Napier said it was and would continue to be in the post game remarks of the three previous games. The Gators are 2-2 overall, 0-2 in the Southeastern Conference, yet they could just as easily be 4-0 with a perfect SEC mark. The Gators could also be 0-4 and in desperate need of their first win. If the Gators were a boat, we’d say the SS Gators were constantly springing leaks that Billy Napier has to plug. Just when he wads up enough bubble gum to plug one hole, water spurts through another. Until Napier can get all the leaks plugged up this season, to use that worn out cliché, will be a roller coaster ride, so buckle your seat belts because the adventure doesn’t end for another two months.

It was a gallant effort by Ventrell Miller, but not enough. (UAA Photo) I saw Florida fighting with all its might only to lose in Knoxville, 38-33, so it should not be dismissed as nothing. By BUDDY MARTIN GatorBaitMedia.com Editor The best thing that can be said of that Bad Day In Knoxville movie is that the Gators lost the game but may have rediscovered their quarterback. On a day when an old rival rose up to smite its nemesis after over a decade of being dominated, that’s a tough trade to swallow. Perhaps come one day it might look and feel better for Florida. But even in the face of things that happened Saturday in Tennessee in the last 90 seconds, it felt pretty encouraging. “No moral victories,” said losing coach Billy Napier. And he repeated it, “no moral victories – so back to work.” Maybe there are no moral victories, or whatever you call them, but we know progress when we see it. The football newthinkers say that if you coach and play the right way with a good plan, even if you don’t achieve the result you were hoping for, there is a sense of accomplishment. I saw the confidence and faith in Richardson restored. I saw Florida fighting with all its might only to lose in Knoxville, 38-33, so it should not be dismissed as nothing. I saw fire in the eyes of Billy Napier I have never seen before. “I love that group in the locker-room,” he said. “I love their competitive spirit. And you know what they did? They did what we asked them to do today. They went on the road. We brought 70 here today and put the ball down. And they competed. Was it perfect? No. We didn’t do enough to win.” Fans love to see their coach getting feisty with officials, scrapping for every inch of real estate, taking the “Scared Money Don’t Make Money” approach to play calling and never giving up until the last tick. Kind of reminds Gator Nation of another guy who was pretty successful with that style. Many Gator fans had higher hopes. After a spritely first half in which they kept the offensive heat on Tennessee’s defense and kept the high-powered Hendon Hooker offense at bay until just before the half, it appeared Florida was going to be in control of the game. Until A.R. got hammered and stripped of the ball, really Richardson had very few mistakes and was back on his game. Lost confidence appeared to have been found. Then the Gator defense did its Swiss Cheese imitation. Florida got 'Hookered' by Hendon in Knoxville (Tennessee Photo) They were getting "Hookered," 38-21, when Richardson came back from that costly fumble and took his team in for one more score to make it 38-27. For some reason Napier chose the two-point conversion but Richardson’s pass fell incomplete. Maybe you didn’t care about the final score, but those gamblers who took the Gators and 10.5 points certainly did. Alas, though, after a spectacular one-handed mid-air recovery of an onside kick by Diwun Black, here was Richardson throwing into Tennessee’s checkerboarded end zone for the win. It came up short. But by the end of the game I saw also fear in the eyes of Josh Heupel. Heupel can brag all he wants about what a “beautiful college football setting Rocky Top is,” but if somehow that last Richardson pass had been caught by Justin Shorter for the winning score, the field would have been transformed into a toxic dump site of mustard bottles and X-Out golf balls. The good news is that Billy Napier’s team showed up to fight. He played every fourth-down card in the deck, making 5 out of 6. In the end he went against the odds and lived up to his “Scared Money” mantra. He turned his QB loose for 594 yards and four touchdowns – two of them passing. I saw fight in the eyes of Billy Napier. You could also see the pride in his eyes for the effort his team gave. “Anthony Richardson is a phenomenal young man,” Napier said. “And he takes so much pride in his role on the team. He worked. He’s humble. He cares and he competed today.” Unfortunately, Napier also lost his cool and it cost his team. At the goal line when officials stopped the clock for what seemed an eternity just to see if they missed a call, it angered the Gator coach, who stormed to the middle of the field wind-milling his arm for the clock to start and it drew an unsportsmanlike conduct foul which gave Tennessee a fresh set of downs. Since the Vols scored the next play it didn’t matter except to Napier, “I lost my poise today and I didn’t represent our team,” said Napier, “or the University of Florida in the right way. And I apologize for that.” It was not a win, but neither was it not for nothing. I liked seeing the Florida Gators on the attack again. True, the Gators allowed the 11th-ranked Vols to break their five-game losing streak. Also, Billy inexplicably went for two points after Florida’s last two touchdowns, and missed. This appeared to have cost everybody who took the Gators and 10.5 points there one last redeeming moment of losing gracefully. But it worked out in the end. “We didn’t do enough to win today,” Napier said, citing coaching as one of the shortcomings. “But I love the loyalty in that lockeroom… But Florida beat Florida today.” What was college football’s toughest September schedule is over now and Billy Napier is a .500 coach. He picked up some style points in Knoxville, but those won’t last forever. He has eight games to prove that he can get Florida back on a trajectory of excellence. He made a step in that direction Saturday by resurrecting a promising young quarterback with big-time potential. Stay tuned.

Florida's furious rally comes up short as Tennessee ends a 5-game losing streak to the Gators. BY CARLTON REESE GatorBaitMedia.com Even when the Tennessee Volunteers do everything right against the Florida Gators, it seems to take a miracle, fluke or opponent mistake to still come away with a victory. Saturday in Knoxville, the 11th-ranked Volunteers ran and threw with virtual ease against a dumbfounded Florida defense, building a late 17-point lead, yet still nearly caused a hundred thousand coronaries in Neyland Stadium before surviving in a rare 38-33 victory. The win was just the second in 18 tries against the 20th-ranked Gators and broke a 5-game losing streak in the series and it did not come as easily as it should have. Two late touchdowns brought Florida back from a 38-21 deficit, but two failed 2-point conversion attempts rendered a potential game-tying field goal out of the equation. Instead, when Diwun Black recovered the ensuing onside kick with 16 seconds left, Florida was left with 53 yards and a likely Hail Mary pass to win. A 14-yard gain on an Anthony Richardson-to-Justin Shorter pass set Florida up at the Tennessee 39-yard line with 11 seconds left. Richardson then missed a wide-open Shorter at the UT 25-yard line, setting up a final desperation pass that was intercepted by Kamal Hadden as time expired. The UT faithful breathed a sigh of relief before exploding with elation at the realization the Vols didn’t choke it away and that their team may be for real for the first time in nearly two decades. “Did we play perfect? No.” UF head coach Billy Napier posited after the loss. “We didn’t do enough to win. There are no moral victories.” Florida had no answers for Tennessee’s up-tempo offensive scheme. The Vols rolled up 576 yards offense, including a masterful 22-for-28 passing performance by quarterback Hendon Hooker who finished with 349 yards through the air. Hooker also carried 13 times for 113 yards on the ground, which seemed an open field for him every time he tucked the ball under his arm. Along the way, Tennessee never punted and was only stopped by two first-half fumbles during strong drives into Florida territory, and a turnover on downs on the Vols’ final possession. “Hendon played his butt off tonight,” Vols head coach Josh Heupel said of his quarterback. “He played at an elite level: decisive with the football; accurate with the football… used his legs at the right time and created big plays there.” Hooker made a full believer of Napier as well: "We had him dead to rights a bunch tonight. One of the things that makes him really unique is his ability to rush the ball and his ability to scramble, extend and escape." The Florida offense gave equal fits to the Tennessee defense. Richardson, much maligned after two weak performances against Kentucky and South Florida, returned to his form of the opener against Utah. He completed 24 of 44 pass attempts for 453 yards and two touchdowns, statistically his best showing in a Gator uniform. "I think when you go through a couple rough outings and then you go play on the road against a really good team, he responded today," Napier said. "He responded with character; he stayed focused." Florida finished with 594 yards offense, but it was an untimely mistake in the fourth quarter that helped put the game out of reach. Trailing 31-21 in a game where neither defense asserted itself, Florida looked to be headed for a score that would bring the Gators within a field goal. On first down from the Tennessee 13, Richardson bobbled the snap then fumbled with 12:34 to play, giving the Volunteers possession. On the next play, Hooker threw to a wide-open Jacob Warren for 45 yards and nine plays later the Vols found the end zone on Jaylen Wright’s 5-yard run. The loss dropped Florida to 2-2 overall and 0-2 in SEC play, effectively ending any pipe dreams of a trip to Atlanta. Tennessee now rides a wave of unbridled optimism at 4-0 overall and 1-0 in the conference. Despite the loss, Florida fans re-gained a measure of confidence in their quarterback which had eroded following two ugly games in which he threw four interceptions and no touchdowns. Richardson was the force in which coach Billy Napier had full faith. On the opening drive, Richardson guided Florida 63 yards on 12 plays only to see it stall at the Tennessee 21-yard line when a 4th-and-2 run by Richardson lost a yard. That would be the first of six fourth down attempts and the only one that failed for Napier. “(Napier) told me we were going to be aggressive because their offense is explosive,” Richardson said. “Their tempo is unmatched, so our game plan was to keep the ball out of their hands as long as we could. It’s him trusting me and trusting the offense and believing that we could convert, and we did.” Napier came up aces with his decisions to go for it on fourth downs, but his decisions to go for a 2-point conversion attempt when down by 11 points may haunt him forever. The conversion attempt was reminiscent of Florida’s bizarre attempts at 2-point conversions when down 20-0 to Missouri in the 1966 Sugar Bowl. In that game, Florida needed three touchdowns and only PAT kicks to win, but opted for 2-pointers and lost 20-18 when it rallied for the three TDs it needed. This time, the decision to go for two when down 11 meant risking the possible chance to tie with a field goal at the end, which the Gators most definitely would have had following the successful onside kick. After Tennessee went up 3-0 on Chase McGrath’s 32-yard field goal late in the first quarter, Florida responded with an 8-play, 75-yard drive for a go-ahead touchdown, a 44-yard pass from Richardson to tight end Keon Zipperer who bulldozed through two defenders en route to the end zone. That momentum would be short-lived: On Tennessee’s next play from scrimmage, Hooker connected with Bru McCoy on a 70-yard pass play to the Florida 5. Two plays later, Hooker ran in from the 4, putting Tennessee back on top 10-7. On Florida’s next possession, Richardson carved up the UT defense with Richardson hitting Trent Whittemore for 17 yards, Ricky Pearsall for 38 then Whittemore again for 14. Richardson’s 7-yard TD run put the Gators up 14-10 at the 8:28 mark. After recovering a Vols fumble at the Florida 33, the Gators had a chance to suck the life out of the Neyland crowd and Tennessee spirit. Instead, Florida embarked on its least productive drive of the day, 12 yards, and punted. Despite pinning Tennessee back at its own 1, the Gators could not contain the ensuing drive which went 99 yards for a go-ahead touchdown, bringing all the game’s momentum clearly back to the Vols. With Tennessee receiving the second-half kick, the Vols had the opportunity to go up a break on the next possession and did just that with a 10-play, 73-yard drive culminating in Hooker’s 16-yard scoring strike to Jabari Small and a 24-14 lead. "You think about the end of the second (quarter) and the first part of the third, there was a momentum swing there," Napier said. "We had control of the game and let it slip away right there." The Gators then answered with a methodical 75-yard drive that ended with a Richardson 1-yard TD run, closing the gap to 24-21. But as was the story the whole game, the Florida defense could not hold serve and Tennessee answered with a drive of its own, bolstered by Hooker’s 44-yard run on the first play. Jabari Small finished things off with a 1-yard TD run and a 31-21 lead that led to the drama of Richardson’s fumble on the next possession. The Gators, not exactly reeling but in bad need of a winning streak will get that opportunity with three straight games back in The Swamp. Florida hosts Eastern Washington at noon next Saturday, before Missouri comes to Gainesville the following Saturday, Oct. 8, and LSU on Oct. 15. Tennessee will be off next week before visiting LSU Oct. 8 then hosting Alabama the following Saturday.