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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Rocky Top hit rock bottom against the
Florida Gators.
Jesse Palmer threw a disputed 3-yard touchdown pass to Jabar
Gaffney with 14 seconds remaining, lifting Florida (No. 4 ESPN/USA Today, No. 6 AP) to an
unlikely 27-23 victory over Tennessee on Saturday.
|  | | Florida's Kirk Wells couldn't hold on to this pass Saturday courtesy of a hit by Tennessee linebacker Eric Westmoreland, but the Gators won. |
"No question, God was smiling on us because the other team
outplayed us," Gators coach Steve Spurrier said. "And somehow we
got more points."
With nearly all of a Neyland Stadium-record crowd of 108,768 cheering on the
Vols (No. 9 ESPN/USA Today, No. 11 AP), they failed to hold off the Gators' game-winning, 91-yard
march that brought an end to Tennessee's 23-game home winning
streak.
"Right now our pride is hurt," Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer
said, "And we're really disappointed."
It was the Vols' inability to score touchdowns in the first half
that eventually led to their downfall. And the defeat couldn't have
come in a more demoralizing fashion.
On the winning play, a first-and-goal from the Tennessee 3,
Palmer threw a quick strike to Gaffney just over the goal line.
Gaffney had the ball for an instant and then it was knocked loose
by cornerback Willie Miles. But line judge Al Matthews ruled
Gaffney made the catch, and the call stood after a brief conference
with referee Al Ford.
"I had it long enough for it to be a touchdown," said Gaffney,
who finished with six catches for 91 yards.
Mills had a different view.
"I saw the ball fall," he said. "I'm not a ref. What I think
doesn't matter. The Gators won but the world knows about the last
play. I thought they were going to overrule. I don't think they
were sure."
The officials were not available for comment.
What was certain, though, was the Gators (3-0, 1-0 SEC) had
beaten the Vols (1-1, 0-1) for the 12th time in the last 15
meetings and now have the upper hand in the SEC East race. The
winner of this game has won the division six times and the loser
twice in the eight years since the league went to division play.
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Saturday, Sept. 16
I think the key to Florida's victory was its defense. In the first half, Tennessee was in the Gators' red zone four times with a chance to score touchdowns, but the Vols came away with four field goals. That allowed the Gators, who didn't play very well on offense, to go into halftime only down 12-7. They very easily could have been down by a much greater margin.
The biggest change in Florida from the first half to the second half was Florida's receivers, who I think were intimidated in the beginning of the game. Tennessee's defense was flying around, doing some things that took the Florida receivers out of their game.
But in the second half, those same receivers started to help out their quarterback, Jesse Palmer, who was very effective throughout the entire game. Look at all of Palmer's throws and he was on the money the entire game. All the way until that final game-winning drive.
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Palmer is familiar with game-winning passes, but it's the first
time in a real game he has pulled it off.
"I've been in that situation five million times in
PlayStation," Palmer said, "but never in person. It's something
I've dreamed about."
Florida took over on its own 9 and Palmer hit Gaffney for 33
yards to the Gators' 38, and then found Reche Caldwell for 21 yards
to the Vols 5. A 5-yard penalty and a 7-yard completion later,
Palmer hit Gaffney.
"In the huddle, we said 'Let's go make some memories,' " Palmer
said. "You know you're a long way away but you can see it. You can
see you can get there."
When the game ended, the crowd booed and the Gators celebrated
on the field.
Trailing 23-17 after Alex Walls kicked a school-record tying
fifth goal -- a 42-yarder early in the fourth quarter -- the Gators
closed to 23-20 on Jeff Chandler's 32-yard field goal with 7:35
left.
And that field goal set the stage for the final dramatic moments
in one of the SEC's fiercest rivalries. In the last three years,
this game has been decided by a total of eight points -- the Vols
won 20-17 in OT in '98 and the Gators won last year, 23-21.
The loss offset a magnificent performance by Tennessee's Travis
Henry, who carried 37 times for 175 yards and a touchdown. A.J.
Suggs, starting his first game, was 17-of-29 for 140 yards.
Palmer, who was replaced for a time by Rex Grossman in last
week's win over Middle Tennessee, was 20-of-43 for 290 yards and
had at least a half-dozen passes dropped in the first half.
Florida took its first lead, 17-12, with 8:50 left in the third
period when cornerback Lito Sheppard stepped in front of Suggs'
pass intended for Cedrick Wilson and ran 19 yards for a touchdown.
Three plays earlier, Chandler pulled the Gators within two at
12-10 on a 24-yard field goal.
Henry scored Tennessee's only touchdown on a 1-yard dive with 1:43 left
in the third quarter. The 2-point conversion pass from Suggs to
Wilson made it 20-17.
The Vols led 12-7 at halftime thanks to field goals of 36, 19,
29 and 19 yards by Walls. On three occasions, Tennessee reached the
Florida 6, 1 and 2 and each time came away with a field goal.
Florida managed just 79 yards-- 62 passing, 17 rushing -- in the
first half, while the Vols piled up 226.
With the power running of Henry and safe, short swing passes by
Suggs, Tennessee had field goals on four of its six first-half
possessions.
After moving 78 yards to the Florida 19 on their second drive,
the Vols settled for a 36-yard field goal by Walls with 3:30 left
in the first period. The first drive ended in a fumble by Wilson on
the Florida 37.
Tennessee was back in business at the Florida 45 after Eric
Parker returned a punt 18 yards. But Henry fumbled on third down at
the 1 and Walls kicked an 19-yarder 3:20 into the second period.
After the Gators went three-and-out for the fourth straight time
with Palmer at the controls, the Vols were on the move again after
another strong punt return by Parker, this one for 21 yards to the
Gators 25. Henry nearly scored from 13 yards out, but was tripped
up by linebacker Byron Hardmon at the 6. Henry fumbled on the next
play, but the Vols recovered and Walls made it 9-0 on a 29-yard
field goal with 7:57 to go in the half.
While defense kept the Gators in the game, the offense led by
Palmer didn't pick up a first down until 7:34 remained in the half
on a 30-yard pass to Alex Willis. Florida made the most of the
opportunity and cut the lead to 9-7 on Earnest Graham's 1-yard TD
run one play after Palmer hit Taylor Jacobs for 25 yards.
Suggs then completed passes of 14 yards to Parker, 9 to Bobby
Graham, and 6 to Wilson, before Walls come on for another 19-yarder
on the final play of the half.
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ALSO SEE
COLLEGE FOOTBALL Scoreboard
Florida Clubhouse
Tennessee Clubhouse
Harig: Fulmer and Vols left to regroup -- again
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Jesse Palmer wanted the ball with the game on the line.
wav: 156 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Phil Fulmer says the Vols had chances to beat Florida on Saturday.
wav: 122 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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