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Florida squandered a 10-0 lead and an upset bid as 15.5-point underdogs during a 23-17 overtime loss at Tennessee on Saturday despite the Gators’ best defensive effort of 2024.
Billy Napier’s short-yardage play calling remains suspect
Facing 4th-and-inches from the Tennessee 18, Napier called a timeout, lined up 6-foot-3, 239-pound DJ Lagway in the shotgun of all places and then of all plays called a slow-developing jet sweep for 5-foot-10, 183-pound Tre Wilson. Back from minor knee surgery and a three-game absence, Wilson was promptly dumped for no gain.
To compound the head-scratching choice, Napier later called a quarterback sneak on 1st-and-goal from Tennessee 1 for 6-foot-2 ¾, 216-pound Graham Mertz, who was stuffed and stripped of the football. This came on a series during which 5-foot-11¼, 216-pound tailback Montrell Johnson Jr. had gained 42 yards on 3 carries.
To recap, 3 points in four first-half red-zone trips and memories of 4th-and-dumber last season against Georgia squandered the Gators’ chance for a commanding lead in Knoxville.
“We left a lot of opportunities on the field,” Napier said.
Chimere Dike has become Florida’s most explosive playmaker
The Wisconsin transfer continued his stellar play and nearly fueled a Gators’ upset victory.
Dike’s 27-yard punt return with 2:31 remaining gave UF the ball on the Tennessee 31. Three plays later, he found the sweet spot among three Tennessee defenders on a 27-yard touchdown pass to send the game into overtime.
Dike finished with 4 catches for 76 yards, along with 57 yards on two punt returns. He averages 19.63 yards on 8 returns for 157 yards total and is tied for the team lead with 19 catches for 353 yards (18.58 avg.) and 2 scores.
Tennessee brings out the best in Florida
A winning season would be quite a feat for UF (3-3, 1-2 SEC). Yet no matter…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/3-things-learned-uf-overtime-130000769.html
Author : Orlando Sentinel
Publish date : 2024-10-13 13:00:00
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