Gator Nation reacts to Florida football’s overtime loss at Tennessee.

Florida football suffered a brutal loss on the road in overtime against the No. 8 Tennessee Volunteers, losing 23-17.

 

Despite dominating the time of possession and having more total yards than the Volunteers, the Gators just couldn’t get enough points on the board to win the game.

Florida’s defense held their ground and kept the game afloat. They came through whenever the team desperately needed a stop and they delivered.

The improvement of Florida’s defense has really been a bright spot for the team in recent weeks, and fans have taken notice of it.

In the third quarter, quarterback Graham Mertz appeared to have suffered a non-contact leg injury after throwing a touchdown pass to tight end Arlis Boardingham that gave the Gators a 10-0 lead.

 

Mertz went into the medical tent on the sidelines and towards the end of the fourth quarter, he was seen on the sidelines in street clothes with crutches. While the severity of the injury is yet to be announced, the quarterback was seen hugging his teammates and coaches, which is not the best sign you’d want to see.

Through the roller coaster of the Gators offensive play, they managed to send the game into overtime thanks to DJ Lagway‘s 27-yard touchdown pass to receiver Chimere Dike.

But overtime was a nightmare for Florida as they were pushed back on their first possession and were forced to attempt a 47-yard field goal which ended up missing wide right.

 

Tennessee would end up scoring a touchdown on their overtime drive to seal the victory.

The Gators host the Kentucky Wildcats inside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 19. Kickoff is set for 7:45 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on the SEC Network.