Dylan Sampson’s third touchdown proved the game-winner in overtime on Saturday night as the No. 8 Tennessee Volunteers rallied from a 10-point deficit to beat the Florida Gators 23-17 in Knoxville, Tenn.
After Florida kicker Trey Smack pushed a 47-yard field goal attempt wide right in to start overtime, Tennessee took over, and Sampson put his head down and tumbled over the goal line from a yard out for his 15th rushing touchdown of the season to cap a five-play drive.
Sampson totaled 112 yards on 27 carries, while quarterback Nico Iamaleava was 16-for-26 passing for 169 yards and an interception. The Volunteers (5-1, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) entered as two-touchdown favorites and but won for only the third time in the past 20 matchups with their former East Division rivals.
Graham Mertz completed 11 of 15 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown for Florida (3-3, 1-2). True freshman DJ Lagway was 9 of 17 for 98 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
Montrell Johnson Jr. rushed 12 times for 85 yards but was injured in the third quarter.
In the first quarter, Florida’s Grayson Howard recovered a fumbled snap when Tennessee had moved to the Gators’ 24-yard line. The teams traded punts, and Florida capped a 10-play drive with Smack’s 42-yard field goal with 3:15 left in the period.
In a gutsy move amid a defensive-oriented matchup with just over two minutes left in the half, Tennessee coach Josh Heupel gambled on fourth-and-1 at his own 10 and got a 6-yard run by DeSean Bishop.
Florida came up with another turnover, when Sharif Denson picked off Iamaleava at the Tennessee 42 and returned it to the 22. Smack booted a 43-yard field goal as time expired in the half, but the Gators were flagged for an illegal substitution penalty. Because they had no timeouts, they had to take the resulting 10-second runoff, which ended the hal.
After being shutout in the first half for the second straight game, Tennessee fell 10-0 as Arlis Boardingham capped a 92-yard drive by catching Mertz’s 13-yard strike at 7:18 of the third. Mertz limped off the field with a non-contact injury after the play and later was on crutches.
Sampson answered on the next series with a 6-yard rumble on fourth-and-1 to make it 10-7.
With Mertz out, Lagway tossed an interception to Arion Carter on Florida’s next play from scrimmage. Tennessee’s Max Gilbert soon tied the game with a 35-yard field goal.
Sampson raced 23 yards with 9:42 left in the game for Tennessee’s first lead, but Lagway tied it 17-all with a 27-yard toss to Chimere Dike with 29 seconds left.
