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Tennessee football: Five takeaways from Vol 23-22 Gator Bowl win vs. Indiana

By Caleb Calhoun

JACKSONVILLE, FL - JANUARY 02: Eric Gray #3 of the Tennessee Volunteers runs for a 22-yard gain in the first half of the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl against the Indiana Hoosiers at TIAA Bank Field on January 2, 2020 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
JACKSONVILLE, FL - JANUARY 02: Eric Gray #3 of the Tennessee Volunteers runs for a 22-yard gain in the first half of the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl against the Indiana Hoosiers at TIAA Bank Field on January 2, 2020 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images
Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images /

2. Defense showed incredible mental toughness.

This defense struggled severely in the middle portion of the game, largely because they were on the field for so long. But when it came time to make a stand, the Vols didn’t come through once or twice, but three times.

First, down 22-9, UT’s offense punted with less than eight minutes left. At the time, the defense had allowed Indiana to score on its previous four scoring drives. But here, the defense forced a surprise three-and-out.

They wouldn’t get back on the field until Tennessee football took a 23-22 lead thanks to the onside kick and back to back touchdowns. But when they did get back on the field, they allowed a 39-yard completion to their own 36-yard line on the first play.

With just over three minutes left, though, the Vols forced an incomplete pass, and then Darrell Taylor got a sack. That resulted in a missed 52-yard field goal to get them the ball back, which was a huge stand. However, the Vols needed one more stop after being unable to get a game-winning first down on their final offensive drive.

Rocky Top punted it back, and with a minute left, Indiana completed two passes of 24 and 12 yards to once again get into UT territory. But Derrick Ansley dialed up beautiful blitz packages, and the Vols got four straight stops before finally getting the ball back to secure the win. Defensive stands are what they did all year, and they closed out the season with three.

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