Tennessee Ends Florida Streak: Five Things We Learned from Vols’ Win

Tennessee football ended its frustrating 11-game losing streak to the Florida Gators in amazing style. Here are five takeaways from the Volunteers’ victory.

The streak is finally over! Everybody in Knoxville is going to celebrate into the night. And Tennessee is 4-0 for the first time since 2003.

Vols fans everywhere are psyched about finally ending that frustrating losing streak to the Gators, and did they do it in style or what? After falling behind 21-0, everybody in the world expected them to roll over.

But just like they did the first two games this year, the Vols have shown that they are the reverse of what they were last year. They know how to turn things around and finish.

They scored 38 unanswered points, 35 in the second half, and didn’t even allow a first down in the second half except for one drive when they were playing soft coverage.

Talk about an impressive win!

Here are the most important takeaways from Tennessee’s 38-28 victory over Florida.

1. Bob Shoop is earning his money.

This is the exact opposite of everything we were tweeting in the first half. After all, Shoop allowed three touchdowns to the Gators and got caught on multiple screen passes.

But just as he did against the Appalachian State Mountaineers and the Virginia Tech Hokies, he adjusted at halftime. And the Vols only allowed one touchdown in the second half, which was a garbage touchdown. They got a crucial turnover as well. Outside of that touchdown drive, Tennessee didn’t even allow a first down in the second half.

So Shoop deserves a ton of credit for his adjustments.

2. Jauan Jennings and Josh Malone are the clear top two receivers.

Going into the year, Josh Malone was the clear-cut starter on one side at wideout with Preston Williams set to start on the other side. But in this game, Jennings became the starter on the other side.

He’ll likely never look back. Against what was supposed to be an elite Florida secondary, Jennings had three receptions for 111 yards and a touchdown, torching Jalen Tabor on that TD. Malone added 91 yards and a touchdown. In the midst of numerous drops in this game by other players, Jennings was consistent. He is the clear-cut No. 2 receiver.

3. Tennessee’s backup linebackers are developing.

After listening to all the things people said about him due to his poor play last year, Colton Jumper has shut everybody up. Yes, that includes me. With Darrin Kirkland Jr. hurt, Jalen Reeves-Maybin barely able to go, and Cameron Sutton not there to backup anybody, Jumper and Cortez McDowell had to step up.

And that’s what they did. Those two had a huge role in turning the defense around in the second half, and with both starters out, they deserve a ton of credit for this game. As a result, we can say that the Vols finally have depth at linebacker.

4. Joshua Dobbs is elite.

We saw it against the South Carolina Gamecocks in 2014. Then we saw it against the Georgia Bulldogs in 2015. But Joshua Dobbs stepped up in what was the biggest game of his college career here.

Despite poor play by the Vols’ receivers in the first half, which included multiple blocks, and a few more offensive line miscues, he never panicked. Then, after Dobbs forced a couple of bad balls that Florida intercepted, he still didn’t panic. And down 21-3 with everything working against them, Dobbs rallied the troops. His stats speak for themselves, throwing for 319 yards and four touchdowns while rushing for 80 yards and a touchdown.

But his ability to rally everybody and reverse the momentum is also a huge deal. He kept the team focused on the biggest stage, which shows a huge amount of mental toughness. And that mental toughness leads us to our final point.

5. Tennessee has reversed course from last year.

Since they fell to 2-3 after blowing their third straight game with a two-touchdown lead, Tennessee has become the complete opposite. The Vols have won 11 of 12 since then and are now on a 10-game winning streak.

Those 11 wins include four wins in which they were down by two scores or more, and it includes two more in which they were within one score in the fourth quarter. Simply put, Tennessee knows how to win with its back against the wall. This team is mentally tough, and getting over Florida was the final hump.

What’s next for this team? After this win, the sky is the limit.