Vols T logoGAINESVILLE, Fla. – Tennessee’s defenders call third down the “money down.”
The Volunteers left Florida’s Ben Hill Griffin Stadium with empty pockets Saturday, though.
At one point, the 19th-ranked Gators, led by backup quarterback Tyler Murphy, were 10-of-15 in converting third downs into firsts as Tennessee struggled to get off the field in the 31-17 loss.
“Pretty much that’s just a big key of defense,” Vols linebacker A.J. Johnson said. “Third down’s the money down. We did a bad job of not getting off on that.”
The Gators converted the first five third downs they faced in the second half, including two each on both of their scoring drives. All of them were 4 yards or more.