Tennessee ends decade of misery vs Florida with huge win: Best memes, reactions

The Tennessee Volunteers have finally conquered the Florida Gators which will help them propel up the AP Top 25 rankings.

The Tennesse Volunteers have had bad memories playing the Florida Gators this century, as they have only won four head-to-head matchups since 2000. The last time that Tennessee had a win over Florida was back in 2016. Now, the losing streak has finally reached its end.

In Week 4 on Saturday, Sept. 24, the Volunteers defeated the Gators 38-33 behind an incredible performance by quarterback Hendon Hooker. But, Tennessee had to go through a bit of drama, as is usually the case.

Tennessee was up 38-27 until Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson completed a three-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Rickey Pearsall to cut the deficit to 38-33 with just 17 seconds remaining in regulation. Then, Florida attempted an onside kick and successfully recovered it, leaving Vols fans in shock.

Luckily for Tennessee, a dropped pass led to Florida having no choice but to go for a Hail Mary. Richardson attempted the pas, but was wrapped up by the defense. The pass fell well short of the end zone and landed in the hands of Tennessee defensive back Kamal Hadden to end things in Knoxville.

Tennessee beats Florida for first time since 2016: Best memes and tweets

Twitter users reacted to the Tennessee win before and after the recovered onside kick with less than 20 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.

One decision by Florida coach Billy Napier that confused viewers was the decision to go for a two-point conversion attempt after Montrell Johnson Jr’s five-yard touchdown run. Instead of cutting the deficit to 10, they were down 11. That came back to haunt them.

Hooker was solid for the Vols, as he accounted for 462 yards from scrimmage. Through the air, Hooker completed 22-of-28 passes for 349 yards and two touchdowns. With his legs, Hooker ran for 112 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries.

Meanwhile, Richardson had a good showing as well. Richardson completed 24-of-44 passes for 453 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception while running for 62 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries.

Now, Tennessee will have a week of rest before taking on the LSU Tigers on Oct. 8. As for Florida, they look to get back over .500 with a victory over the Eastern Washington Eagles on Sept. 24.

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