College Football Old School Game of the Week: Vols Knock off Gators in "The Swamp" to Claim SEC East

Tennessee running back Travis Stephens would run for 226 yards on just 19 carries and score two touchdowns in the Volunteers' upset over the Florida Gators.

 Even though they traditionally met in September, the game between the Florida Gators and the Tennessee Volunteers would often decided who would represent the SEC Eastern Division in the SEC Championship Game as the winner of the Florida-Tennessee game ended up winning the SEC East in seven of the first nine years of the SEC Championship Game's existence.

In 2001, the game was originally scheduled to take place on September 15th but was postponed after the terrorist attacks on September 11th, pushing the game to the end of the regular season on December 1 where the #2 Gators hosted the #5 Volunteers where the winner would not only clinch the SEC East title, but hopes alive for a spot in the BCS championship game which would determine the national champion.

Florida entered the game with a 9-1 record, having lost only to the Auburn Tigers on a last second field goal, as they were would led by head coach Steve Spurrier, who was in his 12th season as the head coach of the Gators.

Since his debut back in 1990, Spurrier had revolutionized the Southeastern Conference with his pass-happy offense known as the "Fun N' Gun", which helped the Gators to six SEC East titles, five SEC championships and one national championship in 1996.

Leading the "Fun N' Gun" offense was redshirt sophomore Rex Grossman, who had thrown for 3,534 yards and 32 touchdown passes up to this point, making him a Heisman Trophy candidate.

The Volunteers also entered the game with a 9-1 record with their loss coming at the hands of the Georgia Bulldogs in the famous "Hobnail Boot" game(To read about that game, click on the link which is highlighted: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2018/09/college-football-old-school-game-of_26.html).

Tennessee was lead by head coach Philip Fulmer, who in his nine previous seasons as the Vols' head coach had defeated Florida only twice with the first win coming in 1992 and then again during the Vols' national championship season in 1998.

While Florida employed a pass-oriented offense, Tennessee was more balanced as sophomore quarterback Casey Clausen had thrown for nearly 2,500 yards and senior running back Travis Stephens had rushed for over 1,000 yards entering the Vols' showdown with the Gators.

Despite the fact that both teams entered the game ranked in the top 5, the Volunteers was listed as a 17-point underdog primarily on the fact they had never beaten Florida in Gainesville or "The Swamp" as the Gators' home stadium, Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, under Fulmer with the Vols' last win in Gainesville occurring in 1971.

However, Spurrier and the Gators would be in for a rude awakening as the game began.

Following a three-and-out by the Gators to start the game, the Volunteers got the ball at their 34-yard-line where it took them only two plays to drive into Florida territory as Clausen connected with Donte Stallworth for 18 yards, then hit Bobby Graham for 12 more yards to put Tennessee at the Florida 41-yard-line(There was a false start penalty on the Vols in between the two passes that pushed them back five yards).

Stephens would carry the ball on three of the next four plays, gaining 13 yards to set up a 4th & 1 at the Gators' 28-yard-line when Fulmer decided to go for the 1st down which the Vols converted as Stephens ran for four yards to give Tennessee a 1st down at the Florida 24-yard-line.

From there, it would take the Vols seven plays to get into the end zone as Clausen threw a two-yard touchdown pass to Troy Fleming to culminate the 14-play, 66-yard drive that took up over seven minutes and gave Tennessee a 7-0 lead with 6:22 left in the first quarter.

The Gators would begin their next possession at their 18-yard-line as they would drive to the Tennessee 49-yard-line until Grossman was picked off by Volunteers defensive back Jabari Greer to give the Vols the ball at the Florida 47-yard-line.

It appeared that the Gators were going to force a three-and-out as Clausen scrambled for three yards on 3rd & 9, only to have Florida linebacker Mike Nattiel hit Clausen as the Vols quarterback stepped out of bounds, drawing a 15-yard penalty and giving Tennessee a 1st down at the Florida 28-yard-line.

On the very next play, Clausen found Bobby Graham for 23 yards to set up 1st & goal from the Gators' five-yard-line where after losing one yard on 1st & goal, Stephens ran it in for a six-yard touchdown to increase Tennessee's lead to 14-0 with 3:03 to go in the opening period.

Tennessee quarterback Casey Clausen would complete 17 of 25 passes for 168 yards and throw one touchdown pass.

The Gators would get the ball back at their 20-yard-line as Grossman would complete four of his next five passes for 38 yards to lead the Florida offense to the Tennessee 41-yard-line as the first quarter came to a close.

Then on the opening play of the second quarter, Grossman threw deep for Reche Caldwell, who made the 40-yard catch to give the Gators a 1st & goal at the Tennessee one-yard-line.

It would take the Gators two tries to get into the end zone as Grossman would sneak it in for the one-yard touchdown to cut Tennessee's lead in half to 14-7 just 43 seconds into the second quarter.

The Vols would start their next drive at their 20-yard-line only to give right back to the Gators on the first play of the drive as Clausen connected with tight end Jason Witten for four yards, only to have Gators strong safety Guss Scott knock the ball loose causing a fumble that was recovered by free safety Todd Johnson, who scooped up the fumble and returned it eight yards to the Tennessee 16-yard-line.

Florida would drive to the Vols three-yard-line until two incomplete passes forced the Gators to settle for a 20-yard field goal by Jeff Chandler to cut the Tennessee lead to 14-10 with 11:49 remaining in the second quarter.

Tennessee seemed to shake off the turnover as Clausen would complete three of his next five passes for 21 yards to lead the Vols to their own 41-yard-line until Clausen was picked off by Nattiel, who returned the pick 25 yards to the Tennessee 21-yard-line where it only take one play for the Gators to get into the end zone as Grossman hit Jabar Gaffney for a 21-yard touchdown to give Florida a 17-14 lead with exactly nine minutes left in the first half.

When the Vols got the ball back for their next possession, they went back to Stephens who busted loose for a 49-yard run on the first play after the touchdown to give Tennessee a 1st down at the Florida 32-yard-line.

However, the Gators defense would stiffen, allowing only five more yards on the next three plays, leading to the Volunteers to settle for a 44-yard field goal attempt by Alex Walls, which sailed wide left to keep the score 17-14 with 6:54 remaining before halftime.

After the missed field goal, the Gators offense would hold the ball for almost the rest of the time remaining in the first half as they drove 63 yards in 14 plays to set up Chandler's 27-yard field goal with four seconds left to increase Florida's lead to 20-14 as the two teams would go into the halftime break with the Gators on top having scored 20 unanswered points.

Tennessee would get the ball to start the second half as the Vols offense took over at their 20-yard-line when Clausen would hit three straight passes for 45 yards, which would lead to Stephens' 35-yard touchdown run that with Walls' extra point put the Volunteers back on top 21-20 almost two minutes into the third quarter.

The Gators would take over at their 18-yard-line when Grossman would lead the Gators to the Tennessee 33-yard-line where they faced a 4th & 5.

That is when the old ball coach decided to go for the 1st down which he got as Grossman hit Taylor Jacobs for 18 yards to give Florida a 1st down at the Tennessee 15-yard-line.

However a quarterback sack by Tennessee linebacker Dominique Stevenson would stall the drive and force the Gators to settle for a 35-yard field goal by Chandler to give Florida a 23-21 lead with 5:54 left in the third quarter.

Florida quarterback Rex Grossman completed 33 of 51 passes for 362 yards and throw two touchdown passes.

The Gators' defense would force another turnover on the Vols' ensuing possession as cornerback Lito Sheppard intercepted a Clausen pass and returned it seven yards to the Florida 42-yard-line.

From there, the Gators would drive to the Tennessee 31-yard-line until they were faced with a 4th & 1 when Spurrier decided to go for the 1st down, only to have a false start penalty push the Gators back five yards to the Tennessee 36-yard-line.

Despite the penalty, Spurrier kept on his offense on the field and tried to convert the 4th & 6, which ultimately failed as Grossman was sacked for an nine-yard-loss by Tennessee defensive end Will Overstreet to give the Vols the ball at their 45-yard-line.

Three plays gained nine yards, leading to a 4th & 1 at the Florida 46-yard-line when Fulmer, just like he did on the Vols' opening possession of the game, decided to go for it which he got as Clausen kept the ball himself and ran for three yards to the Gators' 43-yard-line.

Clausen would connect with Stephens for seven yards on the next play from scrimmage, then handed the ball off to Stephens who busted loose for a 34-yard run to give the Vols a 1st & goal at the Florida two-yard-line when Jabari Davis would get the ball and punch it in for the two-yard touchdown to give Tennessee a 27-23 lead with 13:09 left in the fourth quarter.

The Vols would attempt a two-point conversion after the touchdown as Clausen could punch it on a quarterback draw to keep it a four-point game.

The Gators would get the ball back at their 22-yard-line where it took them only three plays to get into Tennessee territory as Grossman found Caldwell for 22 yards to start the drive, then after a four-yard run by Robert Gillespie, Grossman completed another 22-yard pass , this time to Gaffney to give Florida a 1st down at the Vols' 30-yard-line.

But on the very next play, Grossman would be dropped for a 10-yard-loss on a quarterback sack by Tennessee defensive end Demetrin Veal, which was followed by a five-yard pass to Gillespie and then an incomplete pass to force a 4th & 15 from the Tennessee 35-yard-line.

Needing just a field goal to retake the lead, Spurrier sent in Chandler to attempt a 52-yard field goal, which he made to cut the Tennessee lead to 27-26 with 10:30 to play in the fourth quarter.

The Vols would begin their ensuing possession at their 23-yard-line when Clausen handed the ball off to Stephens, who exploded for his longest run of the day, a 68-yard-run to give Tennessee a 1st & goal at the Gators' nine-yard-line.

From there, Davis would run the ball, picking up four yards on 1st down, then four more on 2nd down, and then punching it in for the one-yard touchdown to push the Tennessee lead to 34-26 with 8:30 left in the fourth quarter.

After both teams went three-and-out on their next offensive possessions, the Gators would get the ball at their 49-yard-line with exactly five minutes left in regulation and needing a touchdown and a two-point conversion to tie the game.

The drive began with a nine-yard pass from Grossman to Gillespie, followed by an incomplete pass, then a seven-yard run by Gillespie to give the Gators a 1st down at the Tennessee 35-yard-line.

A holding penalty would push the Gators back 10 yards to the Tennessee 45-yard-line where they had 1st & 20 as Grossman connected with Caldwell for 15 yards, then again for seven yards to give Florida a 1st down at the Vols' 23-yard-line.

Following an incomplete pass on 1st down, Grossman would find Gillespie for eight yards, then Gaffney for nine yards to give the Gators a 1st & goal at the Tennessee six-yard-line.

Grossman would connect with Caldwell again, this time for four yards, then found Carlos Perez for the two-yard touchdown to make it a 34-32 game with 70 seconds left in regulation with the all-important two-point conversion coming up.

On the two-point conversion, Grossman took the snap and looked for a receiver, before deciding on Gaffney in the back of the end zone.

However, Grossman's pass was behind Gaffney and fell incomplete keeping it a 34-32 game in favor of the Vols with the Gators needing to recover an onside kick in order to keep their SEC and national championship hopes alive.

Tennessee defensive back Buck Fitzgerald celebrates after the Gators failed to convert on a potential game-tying two-point conversion with 1:10 left in regulation.

But Tennessee tight end John Finlayson would recover the onside kick, allowing for Clausen to take two knees to rut out the clock as the Volunteers had pulled off the 34-32 upset to capture the SEC East division title and earn a trip to the SEC Championship Game.

The next day, Tennessee would climb to #2 in the AP and coaches polls as well as the BCS standings, meaning if they won the SEC Championship Game, they would play Miami in the Rose Bowl for the national championship.

However, the Volunteers would be shocked by the LSU Tigers 31-20 in the SEC Title Game, which allowed for Nebraska, despite getting blown out by Colorado 62-36 in their regular season finale, to earn the #2 spot in the final BCS standings to send the Cornhuskers to the Rose Bowl where they would be demolished by the Hurricanes 37-14.

As for the Volunteers, the loss to LSU dropped them to the Citrus Bowl, where they would play the Michigan Wolverines as the Volunteers romped to a 45-17 victory while the Gators would play Maryland in the Orange Bowl in which the Gators won 56-23 in what turned out to be Spurrier's last game as the head coach of the Gators as he jumped to the NFL to coach the Washington Redskins for the next two seasons, before returning to the college game in 2005 as he became head coach of the South Carolina Gamecocks.