The Gator Bowl was a 60-minute representation of Tennessee football’s season
Most of the time, college football teams perform in its bowl game similarly to how it did throughout the season, but Tennessee football took that literally.
When I say that most of the Gator Bowl was a perfect representation of Tennessee football’s season, I mean it.
Throughout the first half of the game, Tennessee played like they did throughout the first half of the season. A turnover on downs to start the game inside the ten, then a field goal, then another field goal, and all of a sudden, Tennessee is scaping by 6-3 at halftime.
You could say the first half of the Gator Bowl was a perfect representation of the first half of the season. From Georgia State to Mississippi State. Tennessee was 2-4 at that point, so two wins and Tennessee had two offensive wins (scores) in the first half.
Then to start the second half, Indiana drives down the field to open the half with a touchdown, and there’s your Alabama game.
After that, things cleared up for the Vols during the season, but the adversity didn’t stop there in the Gator Bowl for the Vols.
Tennessee trailed 16-6, 19-9, and 22-9 before scoring its first touchdown of the game. But all of a sudden Tennessee scores and gets the onside kick and it looked like everything was going Tennessee’s way just like the last five games of Tennessee’s season.
A touchdown brought the deficit from 22-9 to 22-16, and the onside kick gave Tennessee the ball with four minutes left in the game. When we all thought Tennessee was out, they were right back in it.
Three plays later, Tennessee takes the lead 23-22, and with 3:51 remaining in the game, it was clear that Tennessee is going to have to rely on its defense and Jeremy Pruitt outcoaching the Indiana coaching staff to win this game.
The Vols had a little luck on its side and were bailed out with a missed field goal (Kentucky), but a three and out on offense put the ball back in Indiana’s hands with 48 seconds remaining.
Tennessee’s defense stepped up on its final drive of the game and shut down Indiana’s offense to close out a great comeback in a game where they looked like they were finished and a topper to a crazy season.
You could even say that the final defensive drive is the Vanderbilt game in comparison to the season. After the Vols forced a turnover on downs, Jarrett Guarantano took the final knee of the game, and Tennessee won its first bowl game since 2016.
Next. You’re dang right Ryan Tannehill is the AFC Offensive Player of the Month. dark
It wasn’t your average Tennessee game, well maybe this season it was, but Tennessee got the win, and that’s all that matters. These boys deserve and earned that win after the season they endured, and I couldn’t be more proud of them.