TURNOVERS HURT TENNESSEE IN LOSS TO FLORIDA
Feleipe Franks threw touchdown passes to three different receivers and ran for a fourth score Saturday as Florida capitalized on six Tennessee turnovers in a 47-21 rout of the Volunteers.
Four of Tennessee’s turnovers led to 24 points for Florida. Tennessee also gave up a safety and cost itself a touchdown by fumbling a ball out of the end zone for a touchback.
Florida (3-1, 1-1 SEC) beat Tennessee (2-2, 0-1) for the 13th time in the last 14 seasons and posted its highest point total ever at Neyland Stadium. The Gators had won 43-30 at Tennessee in 1984.
Tennessee trailed 23-3 in the second quarter when the Vols decided to go for it on fourth-and-inches from their own 45. The gamble appeared to pay off when Jarrett Guarantano threw to a wide-open Austin Pope, who caught the ball inside Florida’s 40 and appeared on his way to the end zone.
But Florida’s CJ Henderson chased down Pope inside the 10 and applied a hit that caused Pope to fumble the ball out of the end zone, turning a potential touchdown into a touchback.
Guarantano went 7 of 18 for 164 yards with two interceptions and a fumble for his first three turnovers of the season. He left the game briefly in the second quarter after absorbing a big hit, and another hit knocked him out of the game in the third period.
The Vols schedule for the next three games does not get better. They travel to Athens this Saturday to face second ranked Georgia. After that, ninth ranked Auburn and number one ranked Alabama are next.