The Tennessee Volunteers played on the road during one of the toughest atmospheres that they will ever see, as it is quite the task to go into The Swamp and compete with not only the Florida Gators, but the hostile environment that comes with it. That is exactly what the Tennessee Volunteers did, which is something they expected to do, but made official.

The Tennessee Volunteers have been haunted by a lasting streak of losses in Gainesville that dates back to 2003. That came to an end on Saturday, as the Vols defeated the Gators under a dominant performance in the first half that seemed to mellow out a bit in the second half. The Vols walked away with a 31-11 victory in what would go down as one of the better performances that the Vols have had in recent memory when it comes to a road game.

While fans had a chance to celebrate this win, many have yet to realize that the Tennessee Vols made some history at a certain position group. The Vols made history for the first time in their program, as they eclipsed 700 receiving yards with three receivers. This is the first time that this has ever been done.

The leading receiver for the Vols this season is Chris Brazzell. Brazzell has 926 yards on the season at this point. He also has 8 touchdowns to show at this point in the season. He is an outside receiver who has tortured some defenses this year, which has led to him being the primary focus of any defensive coordinator’s plans and scheme. Brazzell is a semi-finalist for the Biletnikoff Award.

Another receiver who has 700 yards at this point is Braylon Staley. Staley is currently at 771 yards and 6 touchdowns. The Vols have been getting him the ball more and more, as he is the slot receiver, who has been utilized very well in this later part of the season.

The last receiver to eclipse 700 yards is Mike Matthews. Matthews is currently at 712 yards and 4 touchdowns. Sure, he is having the lesser of the seasons at this point, but at any chance he can turn it on, which is something he has shown all season long.

There are two more games left for the Vols, but one left in the regular season. If a guy like Chris Brazzell opts to leave for the Draft, he may opt out of the bowl game (just an educated guess), but guys like Matthews and Staley could very well play in both, as both guys are set to return to college next year due to eligibility issues. Neither is eligible to leave college for the draft.

The Tennessee Volunteers went to The Swamp as a 7-3, 3-3 prepared to battle with the Florida Gators.

After a 60-minute contest, the Vols would leave Ben Hill Griffin Stadium victorious, moving the season records to 8-3, 4-3.

This win does a lot for the overall program. Despite any narratives that may be spun, if anything this game helps remove the mental block for the Volunteers program.

This was the first Tennessee win in Gainesville since 2003.

Using 2003 as the measuring stick so to speak, the Vols are 6-17 against Florida and that is with counting 2003.

Surreal Halftime Score

“Uh, I would say no, just because of the work that we put in and we, um, we’re looking, going forward into this game about um, going in and just simply doing our job, playing fast and playing collective football. Offense, defense, and special teams, so, you know, going into halftime it really wasn’t a surprise to us. It was now, you know, um, don’t let up. Put on more steam and you got to go and attack this second half like no other, so we can go finish,” Carter detailed.

Junior linebacker Arion Carter is familiar with just how important this game is, as the defender is an in-state product. Growing up in Tennessee, it doesn’t take long to realize the hatred between the two.

Carter would take questions after the long-awaited win.

Impact of Win as an In-State Kid

“Yeah, you know, um just being here over the few years, um just being around it, being in the game and just seeing the atmosphere, being at home and being away. Second time being here (Florida), just the fans and it just means more, you know. Being in the SEC and in these two big SEC rivalry schools, you know, two blue bloods as you would call them. Just seeing that the history of what happened prior, you know, going into this game, it gave us a little bit more of an edge, you know, to go out there and prove we can change history,” Carter said.

Click HERE to watch and listen to everything that linebacker Arion Carter had to say after beating Florida in The Swamp.

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