KNOXVILLE – Butch Jones may not want to admit it, but there was a bittersweet tone to the penultimate Saturday of the regular season for Tennessee.
The Volunteers won another shootout with quarterback Josh Dobbs starring in the final home game of his productive and successful career, but the tenor of the season changed before halftime of the 63-37 win against Missouri at Neyland Stadium.
Florida’s surprising win at LSU earlier Saturday clinched the SEC East for the Gators and left unmarked one box on Tennessee’s list of goals for the season.
“I actually just found out what happened when I was sitting in there doing a radio show,” Vols left tackle Brett Kendrick said, “but I knew on the sideline when they stopped showing the score.
“I knew something was up. I kept looking up there and said, ‘You know, the score’s gone, they’re not showing it anymore.’ That can’t be a good thing.”