KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Florida football squandered a chance to win a statement, losing 23-17 in overtime to Tennessee before 101,915 at Neyland Stadium.

The Sun’s Kevin Brockway and David Whitley rounded out the disheartening loss for the Florida Gators (3-3, 1-2 SEC). UF came away with just 3 points in four red zone trips in the first half, including a field goal wiped off the board to end the first half after an illegal substitution penalty with 12 players lined up on the field.

“A lot of missed opportunities in the first half that really haunted them,” Brockway said. “You knew they would do that in a game like this.”

The loss dropped Florida football coach Billy Napier to 2-12 against ranked teams and will cause further controversy given some of the coaching decisions. In addition to the 12-man-on-the-field penalty, Florida also had a drive stall in the red zone on 4th-and-inches on a read-option play from the shotgun, with Eugene Wilson III quitting for no gain.

“This would have been quite a feather in Billy’s cap to go to Neyland and beat a Top 10 team,” Whitley said. “But it’s almost emblematic of the way things went for him, I just can’t quite sum it up.”

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This article originally appeared in The Gainesville Sun: Swampcast wraps up Florida Football’s OT loss at No. 9 Tennessee