Postgame Notes: #11/9 Tennessee 16, Florida 29

TENNESSEE FOOTBALL POSTGAME NOTES
Sept. 16, 2023 | Gainesville, Fla. | Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
FINAL SCORE: No. 11/9 Tennessee 16, Florida 29

General Notes

Saturday's attendance at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium: 90,751
- It was the second-largest crowd at The Swamp in series history.
Tennessee's all-time on-field record fell to 869-411-53 with Saturday's loss (NCAA record: 858-411-53).
Saturday marked the 53rd meeting all-time between Tennessee and Florida.
- Florida leads the series, 32-21, with a 17-5 edge in Gainesville.

Vol Captains/Coin Toss

Tennessee's team captains for Saturday's game: LB Aaron Beasley, OL John Campbell Jr., LS Matthew Salansky, DL Omari Thomas
Tennessee won the toss and elected to defer, defending the north end zone. Florida received the opening kickoff.

First Time Starters

DB Gabe Jeudy-Lally was the only player to make his first career start for Tennessee in Saturday's contest.
- Seven different Vols have now made their first starts at Tennessee this season, including four on defense.

QB Joe Milton III finished Saturday's game completing 20-of-34 passes for 287 yards and two touchdowns with one interception.
- His 287 yards through the air marked a career-high at UT and were the third-most in a single game of his six-year college career.
Milton's second-quarter interception came on his 10th pass attempt, ending his streak of consecutive pass attempts without a pick at 248. The streak dated to Nov. 14, 2020 vs. Wisconsin.
- It was the first interception of Milton's Tennessee career, ending at 216 attempts without a pick at UT. It was the second-longest streak in program history behind Hendon Hooker's 261 from 2021-22, and the ninth-longest streak in Southeastern Conference history.

Individual Offensive Notes

With 8:14 remaining in the fourth quarter, WR Bru McCoy pulled in a 55-yard touchdown catch down the left sideline. It was his first touchdown of the season, fifth of his Tennessee career and UT's longest offensive play of 2023.
- McCoy finished the contest with a game-high 94 receiving yards on five catches.

Individual Defensive Notes

LB Aaron Beasley led the Vols in tackles for the second-straight game, finishing Saturday's contest with eight total stops.
- The senior from Franklin, Georgia, leads UT with 20 tackles through three games.
UT tallied seven tackles for loss in the game, led by two from sophomore DL James Pearce Jr., which matched his career-high set in the 2023 season opener vs. Virginia.

Special Teams Notes

K Charles Campbell made his only field goal attempt, drilling a 42-yarder on UT's opening drive of the second half. It was his longest field goal of the season and he is now a perfect 4-for-4 on field goal attempts this year.
DT Bryson Eason was credited with a blocked kicks in the first quarter on a 46-yard field goal attempt and DT Omari Thomas blocked a PAT try, both the first blocked kicks of their careers.
- It was the first blocked field goal for Tennessee since Shy Tuttle blocked one in a win vs. Kentucky on Nov. 10, 2018.
- It was the first blocked PAT for Tennessee since Da'Jon Terry blocked one in a win vs. Kentucky on Oct. 29, 2022.
- It marked the first time Tennessee blocked two kicks in a game since the aforementioned Kentucky game last year, when the Vols also blocked a punt.

Career Highs

The following players set or tied career highs in the respective statistical categories listed below:

Offense

WR Bru McCoy
- 1 receiving touchdown (tied career-high)
QB Joe Milton III
- 287 passing yards (UT career-high)
- 34 pass attempts (UT career-high)

Defense/Special Teams

DL Bryson Eason
- 4 tackles
- 1.0 sack (tied career-high)
LB Elijah Herring
- 7 tackles
DB Gabe Jeudy-Lally
- 1.0 tackle for loss (tied career-high)
DB Jaylen McCollough
- 1.0 tackle for loss (tied career-high)
DL James Pearce Jr.
- 3 tackles (tied career-high)
- 2.0 tackles for loss (tied career-high)

University of Tennessee Athletics