It took them several months, but the Volunteers have finally fallen.

No. 8 Florida absolutely rolled over top-ranked Tennessee on Tuesday night in a massive statement win for the Gators. Florida picked up a dominant 73-43 win over Tennessee at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center, which marked the Volunteers’ first loss of the season. It was the first time Florida had beaten a No. 1 team at home in program history.

That paved the way for a new team to overtake them in the rankings next week and kept the door open in the SEC after the Vols’ historic start.

Florida dominated in the first half and got out to a 34-15 lead in the first 20 minutes. The Gators held Tennessee to just 4 of 29 from the field in the first half, too, and 0 of 14 from beyond the arc. The Vols didn’t even get on the board until a Felix Okpara free throw nearly seven full minutes into the game. Nothing was working at all.

Though Tennessee improved slightly in the second half, it was way too late. Florida still came out of the locker room on a 30-15 tear to put the game away with more than five minutes left on the clock. Tennessee was way too out of it to make a difference.

Alijah Martin led the Gators with 18 points and six rebounds, and Denzel Aberdeen added 16 points off the bench. Florida went just 6 of 20 from the 3-point line, but it out-rebounded Tennessee by 18.

Chaz Lanier led Tennessee with 10 points and seven rebounds after he shot 1 of 9 from the 3-point line. Zakai Zeigler was the only other player to hit double figures. He had 10 points and a rebound, and went 1 of 6 from behind the arc. Tennessee finished the game shooting just 21% from the field and 4 of 29 from the 3-point line as a team.

Tennessee had been the top-ranked team in the country for over a month. The Vols entered conference play with several major wins under their belt, including double-digit victories over Louisville, Baylor, Syracuse and Miami. They even beat then-No. 23 Arkansas by 24 points on Saturday, which pushed them to 14-0 for the first time in more than 100 years.

The Gators entered Tuesday night needing to make a statement. While they started out the season a perfect 12-0, they didn’t play a single ranked team in that stretch. Then they fell on Saturday to No. 10 Kentucky in their SEC opener.

But after Tuesday night, it’s clear their start wasn’t a fluke. While Tennessee will be fine after putting this off night behind it, the Gators are clearly ready to compete with the top tier in the SEC.

A Hendersonville police officer has been decommissioned and temporarily suspended from duty pending an internal investigation after he was stopped by a Sumner County deputy Monday and charged with driving under the influence and assault on an officer, authorities confirmed Tuesday.

According to an arrest affidavit, Steven Wilson was driving 104 miles per hour in a 65-mile-per hour zone on Highway 86, and he continued on toward Exit 6 after a deputy activated his overhead lights and siren in an attempt to stop him.

Wilson was seen with “bloodshot-watery eyes” and the odor of intoxicating beverage was coming from his vehicle once he did pull over, the affidavit said.

When he was asked to get out of his car, Wilson asked Deputy Oscar Vazquez to turn off his body camera, the affidavit notes. It also said that when Vazquez refused, Wilson grabbed at the deputy’s body camera repeatedly and eventually grabbed at Vazquez’s left wrist.

Body camera footage also shows Wilson grab his car keys off the hood of Vazquez’s cruiser and begin walking back to his car before Vazquez grabbed Wilson, the affidavit said.

A struggle ensued, and Vazquez is heard asking responding officers to “step it up” in coming to the scene, the affidavit notes of the footage.

At least four responding deputies and a Hendersonville police officer arrived and struggled to gain control of Wilson, who was warned he would be Tased, the affidavit said.

Four deputies were ultimately able to take Wilson to the ground and handcuff him, the affidavit said.

Vazquez suffered a cut near the pinky finger of his left hand while trying to handcuff Wilson, but he did not seek medical attention for the wound, according to documentation from authorities.

Wilson did not consent to a blood test, but the Sumner County Sheriff’s Office obtained a warrant for one and conducted a blood draw shortly before 4 a.m. on Monday.

A search of Wilson’s car revealed two small Jack Daniels bottles and two unopened White Claw beverages, authorities noted.

“Based on the speeds he was traveling, his intoxication, and his action during the traffic stop, I believe that Mr. Wilson was a danger to himself and the public,” the affidavit said.

Reach reporter Craig Shoup by email at cshoup@gannett.com and on X @Craig_Shoup. To support his work, sign up for a digital subscription to www.tennessean.com.

The Tennessee Titans have fired general manager Ran Carthon per Jim Wyatt. President of Football Operations Chad Brinker will be retained and will conduct the search for a new general manager per Wyatt’s report. The report also confirms that Brian Callahan will be retained as the Titans’ head coach.

Ran Carthon was hired in January of 2023 to succeed Jon Robinson who had been fired during the 2023 season. In his two years here, the team compiled a 9-25 record. Just putting that record out there without context isn’t fair to Carthon, however. He took over a roster that was depleted of talent after Robinson had three really bad drafts in a row.

Carthon’s 2024 draft looks like it could end up being pretty good. JC Latham had a solid rookie year and looks like a tackle the Titans can count on going forward. T’Vondre Seat showed some promise in his rookie season, though they need him to develop as a pass rusher. Jarvis Brownlee held his own at cornerback after the two guys they brought in, Chidobe Awuzie and L’Jarius Sneed were injured for the majority of the season.

But at the end of the day, this roster really is not any better than the one Carthon inherited when he was hired. It was always curious that Carthon hired Brinker and Brinker ended up being promoted over him in less than a year here. That was a pretty strong indication that people inside the organization were not happy with the job Ran was doing.

Last year, Amy Adams Strunk chose to keep Carthon over Mike Vrabel. You have to wonder if she regrets that decision now just a year later.

Full statement from AAS:

“I’ve loved the time I’ve spent with Ran. He’s a talented football mind, a great man, and friend to everyone along his path,” Strunk said in the statement. “It’s impossible to ignore that our football team hasn’t improved over the past two years. I am deeply disappointed in our poor win-loss record during this period, of course, but my decision also speaks to my concern about our long-term future should we stay the course.

“I love this team more than you can imagine. To our fans: we know this level of performance isn’t acceptable. We’re humbled by your support as we continue to work towards building the team you expect and deserve.”