Top 5 College Football Games I’ve Attended- #2

By Tucker Harlin

Ahead of the 2024 football season, I have been to 75 college football games over the last 18 seasons. I will be adding at least seven more to that tally this fall.

Of course, a vast majority of that 75 is Tennessee, and a good chunk of the last 20 years for the Vols has been rough sledding.

Given that fact, my selection of Tennessee games for this list was pretty easy.

These are in ascending order, broken up by game, with an honorable mention.

This is my second favorite college football game I’ve attended.

#2- FLORIDA at TENNESSEE, 2022- Vols 38 Gators 33

This one happened while I was in college, so it automatically has a leg up on the 2016 Florida game (and also because the highs in Heupel’s tenure are higher than Butch’s).

The energy on campus that week was palpable, full of angst and anticipation.

I was working at WUTK (Tennessee student radio station) at the time and ESPN College Game Day host Rece Davis swung by the station to speak to us about both the game and the journalism industry.

He asked us to help him pronounce “Iamaleava” to which I responded accordingly. He told us all the pressure would be on Tennessee to get the win Saturday, and he was absolutely right.

The Vols had started 2022 with two incredibly dominant non conference victories. In between those was a hard-fought overtime road victory against a respectable Pittsburgh team.

On the other hand, Florida was a bit of a mystery.

The heroics of quarterback Anthony Richardson guided the Gators to a 29-26 win over #7 and eventual PAC-12 champion Utah in Billy Napier’s first game as head coach.

But a very bad version of Richardson was out in the Gators’ 26-16 home loss to a mediocre Kentucky team and 31-28 survival against a miserable USF team.

I woke up at 3 AM that morning to go to College Game Day with my roommate and my other friend. After that experience, I can say with confidence that I have been there and done that and would rather not go to football games half asleep again.

Half asleep was what the early vibes in that game felt like with the Billy Napier ball control offense keeping the Vols offense off the field.

Tennessee forced a turnover on downs on the first possession but fumbled away a promising first drive as the offense neared the red zone.

The Gators had another long drive end in disappointing fashion, this time with a missed 50-yard field goal.

The Vols drove down the field but were unable to find the end. Kicker Chase McGrath hit a 32-yard chip shot for the game’s first points.

As the first quarter turned to the second, Florida had found its way across the 50.

The Gators converted a 4th and 1 as Richardson found tight end Dante Zanders for an 11-yard conversion. Richardson found another tight end, Keon Zipperer, who spun through a pair of tackles for a 44-yard touchdown.

Tennessee answered very quickly. Hooker found a wide open Bru McCoy for 70 yards to get the Vols down to the 5. Hooker did the rest with his legs to put them up 10-7.

Richardson nailed long passes to both tight end Trent Whittemore and receiver Ricky Pearsall to put the Gators in a goal to go situation. He ran for a seven yard touchdown to give Florida the lead back.

After turning Tennessee over the next possession, Florida pinned the Vols at their 1 to start the final possession of the half.

Tennessee’s clock management was a thing of beauty.

After several medium distance plays, the Vols were staring at 3rd and 10 at their own 12.

Hooker looked left and saw receiver Ramel Keyton outrunning a Florida defensive back. The throw was tracking too long for Keyton, but Keyton extended to make the catch at the Florida 35.

Hooker ran for 16 yards to set up a 1st and goal and later found McCoy in the back of the end zone to give the Vols the lead at the break.

Tennessee got the ball to start the second half and marched right down the field for another touchdown.

This drive was highlighted by a pair of chunk plays from running back Jabari Small. Small’s 39-yard run would get the Vols across midfield, and Hooker later found him the outlet touchdown pass.

Florida answered right back with a long drive of their own that ended in a 1-yard Richardson rush touchdown.

Still ahead 24-21, the Vols needed to keep their foot on the gas.

Hooker spun out of trouble on the first play of the drive and galloped for 44 yards to Florida’s 18. Hooker found tight end Princeton Fant over the middle to put the Vols at the 2.

The Gators had stonewalled a pair of Tennessee run plays and had the Vols in a 3rd and goal. The Gators stuffed the Vols on 3rd down, but Billy Napier went unhinged on the refs between 3rd and 4th down over a review of the play.

Napier’s antics resulted in an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and a fresh set of downs for the Vols. Small punched in the rush touchdown to put Tennessee’s lead back at 10.

Florida had another time consuming drive in progress on the next possession. That was until Tennessee defensive lineman Omari Thomas stripped Richardson in the backfield and linebacker Jeremy Banks recovered.

Hooker immediately found tight end Jacob Warren streaking to his left for 45 yards. Tennessee ground its way to the end goal line as running back Jaylen Wright punched it in from five yards away.

The Vols now led 38-21, but the end of the game was stressful for them.

A 10 play Florida drive ended with a Montrell Johnson rush touchdown. The two-point conversion was no good, so the Gators trailed 38-27 in the closing minutes.

Florida tried an onside kick but failed, and Tennessee was a couple of first downs from a win. The Gators managed to tackle Princeton Fant in front of a chomping Tennessee crowd.

Florida hastily drove down the field and scored as Richardson and Pearsall connected. The two-point conversion was no good.

To up the stress a little more, the Gators pulled off a successful onside kick at their 47. Richardson found receiver Justin Shorter to advance Florida to the Tennessee 39.

The Gators had one play to get the ball to the end zone following an incompletion.

Richardson unloaded on a deep ball, but it was well short of the end zone and in the hands of defensive back Kamal Hadden.

Tennessee had survived a near death experience in a critical early season game against a school it had lost five straight against.

Florida finished 2022 at 6-6 and was stomped on in a 30-3 bowl loss to Oregon State in Las Vegas. It was the first time the Gators had lost to Tennessee, Kentucky, and Vanderbilt in the same season since 1955.

I’ll wait till the end of my #1 game to tell you how Tennessee’s season ended.