KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Dylan Sampson scored his third touchdown of the game on a 1-yard run in overtime to give No. 8 Tennessee a 23-17 victory over Florida on Saturday night.
The Volunteers (5-1, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) went to overtime for only the second time. The first was in 1998 when they won the national title.
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Trey Smack missed a 47-yard field goal try for Florida (3-3, 1-2) on the first overtime possession.
“Once (Florida) missed the field goal, I knew we would win,” Sampson said.
“(After the miss), we were going to run the football and be sound in doing it,” said Tennessee coach Josh Heupel. “(Sampson) always has great vision, great pace. He's always been good running between the tackles.”
The Gators tied it with 29 seconds left on DJ Lagway's 27-yard touchdown pass to Chimere Dike. After lining up for a 2-point conversion, Tennessee called a timeout and Florida kicked the extra point.
Sampson, who rushed for 112 yards, ran 23 yards for a go-ahead, fourth-quarter touchdown. The touchdown was set up by a defensive stand that forced the Gators to punt from their end zone.
“(The defense) is confident,” Heupel said. “They don't just think (something good) is going to happen. They have to make it happen.”
Florida jumped out to a 10-0 lead, with Graham Mertz hitting Arlis Boardingham with a 13-yard scoring pass midway through the third quarter. On the play, Mertz's foot caught in the turf and he sustained a left leg injury.
“The tale of the tape is our missed opportunities in the first half,” Florida coach Billy Napier said.
The Gators led 3-0 at the half, but fumbled on the Tennessee 1 and had an illegal substitution penalty on a field goal attempt at the end of the second quarter that had a 10-second run-off negate the points.
“We had many opportunities to score points,” Napier said.
Sampson then had a 6-yard scoring, and Lagway, who took over for Mertz, threw an interception that set up Max Gilbert's tying, 35-yard field goal.
THE TAKEAWAY
Florida: With Georgia, Texas, LSU and Ole Miss still on the schedule, the Gators will have to get things in order in a hurry. Bright glimmers from wins over Mississippi State and UCF were parlayed into a gritty performance against the Vols.
Tennessee: A lot of the problems that cropped up in the loss to Arkansas were evident again. With Alabama visiting next week, the Vols have a long way to go to make things right. If Tennessee is going to be a playoff contender the rest of the season, it needs to show consistency in its performance.
UP NEXT
Florida: Hosts Kentucky on Saturday.
Tennessee: Hosts Alabama on Saturday.
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