The Tennessee Vols, who finished the season with a five game winning streak, are heading to Jakcsonville for the 2020 TaxSlayer Gator Bowl..Tennessee, who started 1-4 on the season, went 6-2 over the last two months, with a 5-game winning streak to end the season.
Finishing off the regular season in a good fashion, gave fans enough hope for a Gator Bowl appearance. Things took a turn for the Vols late in the afternoon, with some back and forth negotiations.Tennessee found their spot. It was a wild two hours for the SEC.
Tennessee will take on Big-10 opponent Indiana, who finished the season 8-4 with a regular season finale 44-41 win over Purdue.
Jeremy Pruitt said of the Gator Bowl “We couldn’t pick a better place than Jacksonville & the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl”
The suspension of Jauan Jennings was also brought up during the teleconference, with Pruitt saying “It’s something that’s been addressed. He probably has some frustrations. Jauan has been a great representative of the university”
During the call, AD Phillip Fulmer was asked about the placement & his thoughts on the process ” I think it played out very well, being in the group of 6 that we were in, I think the TaxSlayer Bowl got the hottest team. Coach Pruitt & the job he’s done, we’re happy to be headed to Jacksonville”
It was a wild afternoon for Tennessee & the SEC in terms of bowl placement, with some folks at the Music City Bowl thinking it would potentially be getting the Vols. Phillip Fulmer said of the process “Nashville would have been a fantastic destination. … The conference commissioner in the end makes the decision and asked for our preferences. We went back and forth and in the end, I think we ended up in the right place.”
Overall, this turned out to be a wild afternoon in which Tennessee, Kentucky & the bowl games were fighting, even after the final whistle blew. They just decided to go into overtime, with the Vols getting a trip to Florida out of it.
