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Florida Football: Gators win on crazy Hail Mary vs. Tennessee (Video)

By David Eversole

GAINESVILLE, FL - SEPTEMBER 16: Feleipe Franks #13 of the Florida Gators celebrates with his teammates after he threw a 63-yard pass at the end of the game to defeat the Tennessee Volunteers 26-20 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on September 16, 2017 in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images)
GAINESVILLE, FL - SEPTEMBER 16: Feleipe Franks #13 of the Florida Gators celebrates with his teammates after he threw a 63-yard pass at the end of the game to defeat the Tennessee Volunteers 26-20 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on September 16, 2017 in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images) /
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Florida football pulled off a miracle to beat Tennessee in epic fashion. What started as a game to forget soon turned into an instant classic

The game for three quarters was almost unbearable to watch as the Gators held a 6-3 advantage after 45 minutes. Then all of a sudden both teams hit the excitement switch and combined for 37 points in the fourth quarter.

Tennessee missed three field goals on the day as quarterback Quinten Dormady struggled, finishing the day 21-for-39 with 259 yards passing but threw three interceptions and only one touchdown. The Volunteers defense struggled when it counted and let the Gators stay in the contest and get one more drive at the end of regulation.

With nine seconds left and the game tied at 20, the Gators had one last shot and they sure made the most of it. Quarterback Feleipe Franks guaranteed that there would be no overtime in Gainesville today.

It was nice to see the Swamp in such a frenzy after an exciting conference win, after the game some of the Gators shared an emotional moment with sophomore wide receiver Tyrie Cleveland who caught the game winner.

Once again Tennessee’s defense left a lot to be desired late in the game, but unlike against Georgia Tech this time there would be no happy ending for the Vols. Now they must lick their wounds and get geared up for the heart of their SEC schedule after next week’s game vs Umass.

Although it is early, one loss in the SEC East at this juncture could come back to haunt Tennessee as they will face No.13 Georgia in two weeks and that may already be a must-win if they want to have a shot at the East.

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Meanwhile for the Gators, this could catapult their much maligned offense and give them some life. The SEC East has no clear cut favorite at the moment and stealing a game like this could bode well for their chances to make a run. With two winnable games coming up against Kentucky and Vanderbilt, Florida could go into their contest with LSU 3-0 in the SEC. Their schedule has them playing all their remaining ranked opponents at home, which could bode well for their chances this season.

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