KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – – Dylan Sampson scored his third touchdown of the game on a 1-yard run in overtime to give No. 8 Tennessee a 23-17 victory over Florida on Saturday night.

The Volunteers (5-1, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) went to overtime for only the second time. The first was in 1998 when they won the league title.

Trey Smack missed a 47-yard field goal attempt for Florida (3-3, 1-2) on the first possession of overtime.

“When (Florida) missed the field goal, I knew we were going to win,” Sampson said.

“(After the miss) we were going to run the football and be good at it,” Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said. “(Sampson) always has great vision and pace. He’s always been good between the tackles.”

The Gators tied the score with 29 seconds left on DJ Lagway’s 27-yard touchdown pass to Chimere Dike. After lining up for a two-point conversion, Tennessee called a timeout and Florida kicked the extra point.

Sampson, who rushed for 112 yards, ran 23 yards for a go-ahead goal in the fourth quarter. The touchdown was set up by a defensive play that forced the Gators to punt out of their end zone.

“(The defense) is confident,” Heupel said. “They don’t just think that something good is going to happen. They have to make it happen.”

Florida jumped out to a 10-0 lead, with Graham Mertz hitting Arlis Boardingham on a 13-yard scoring pass midway through the third quarter. During the play, Mertz’s foot caught the turf and he suffered an injury to his left leg.

“The story of the tape is about our missed opportunities in the first half,” Florida coach Billy Napier said.

The Gators led 3–0 at halftime but fumbled the Tennessee 1 and were assessed an illegal substitution penalty on a field goal attempt late in the second quarter, with a 10-second runoff negating the points.

“We had a lot of opportunities to score points,” Napier said.

Sampson then had a six-yard score, and Lagway, taking over for Mertz, threw an interception that set up the tying 35-yard field goal for Max Gilbert.

THE TAKEAWAY

Florida: With Georgia, Texas, LSU and Ole Miss still on the schedule, the Gators will have to get things in order quickly. Bright glimpses of wins over Mississippi State and UCF turned into a gritty performance against the Vols.

Tennessee: Many of the issues that emerged in the loss to Arkansas were once again apparent. With Alabama visiting next week, the Vols still have a long way to go to put things right. If Tennessee wants to be a playoff contender for the remainder of the season, it must show consistency in its performance.

NEXT

Florida: Hosts Kentucky on Saturday.

Tennessee: Hosts Alabama on Saturday.

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