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Florida Bests Tennessee, Extends Home Winning Streak

The Tennessee Volunteers suffered their first loss of the 2023 season to Florida on Saturday evening.
Florida Bests Tennessee, Extends Home Winning Streak
Florida Bests Tennessee, Extends Home Winning Streak

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The ending to Tennesee's loss to Florida encapsulated a difficult evening for the program. The Vols were undisciplined all night, which boiled over into the skirmish at the end. It has been a frustrating start to the season for a team initially expected to do big things.

The sky shouldn't be falling in Knoxville, Tennessee, but things are tough through three games. Florida highlighted many of Tennessee's weak areas - they dared Tennessee to pass the football for four quarters but couldn't. Quarterback Joe Milton III's stat line once again reads fairly well, but the timing and execution of the offense is off. He threw a costly interception under duress, throwing the ball up in the air while getting tackled. 

These types of glaring mistakes plagued Tennessee across their roster in the first two games, and the Gators exploited those moments. Florida quarterback Graham Mertz did an excellent job of taking what the Vols gave him and converting in big spots. 

Now, all isn't lost for Tennessee. It's an early season loss to a conference opponent - they can still accomplish many things they wanted to do, but they must answer many questions. Something must change on offense before they can achieve their full potential, namely, the passing attack. They aren't challenging defenses vertically at all, which is very unlike past teams under head coach Josh Heupel. He typically finds ways to maximize his pass catchers, and it'll be interesting to see how he responds moving forward.

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Evan Crowell
EVAN CROWELL

Evan Crowell is currently pursuing a journalism degree from the University of Missouri and has various media experiences throughout his young career. He's been committed to marrying the fan's perspective of the game of football to the technical intricacies installed in each game by coaches and players. Crowell has been working at Fan Nation since 2020 and has covered high-profile college football games, recruiting events, and more during that five-year tenure. While he never played football, he's worked relentlessly to continue improving his understanding of the game while still covering the unique stories of each individual he covers.

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