KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Austin Appleby dropped his shoulder pads on the locker room floor in disappointment.
It was just minutes after the clock hit zero Saturday night at Neyland Stadium.
Tennessee players stormed the field, some mocking UF’s band with chomping gestures, while head coach Butch Jones made his way to UT’s band to celebrate.
He had just orchestrated Tennessee’s biggest win in recent history, a 38-28 comeback victory that snapped Florida’s 11-game winning streak over the Volunteers.
For Appleby and the Gators, it was more than just a streak-breaking loss to a rival.
Tennessee scored 38 unanswered points and UF squandered its biggest lead since a 23-point advantage in 2003 against Miami.
Simply put, it was humiliating.
“It’s hard,” linebacker Alex Anzalone said. “It’s been 11 years since we’ve lost to them, and to be the team that lost this game really hurts.”
For all the hype and importance surrounding this game, coach Jim McElwain and players responded positively after the loss.
Each of them had one thing on their minds: the big picture.
“No national championship Gators team has ever went undefeated,” running back Mark Thompson said. “So, you know, the season isn’t over.”
Cornerback Quincy Wilson, who slammed the Volunteers this past week by likening them to ducks and guaranteeing a Florida win, echoed Thompson’s sentiment.
“National championship teams always go in there with one loss,” he said. “We ain’t worried about it.”
Florida’s trash-talking defense strolled into Rocky Top boasting the country’s lowest yards per game (129.7) and points per game (4.7).
But it left embarrassed.
The first half was reminiscent of the team’s first three games.
UF stonewalled Tennessee’s Josh Dobbs-led attack on the goal line multiple times. One of those led to a Wilson interception in the end zone.
By halftime, his prediction looked promising.
The Gators led 21-3, and it looked like DBU was set to rack up another win over Tennessee and back up all the chirping it did.
But UF’s third quarter, and the second half as a whole, was ugly.
“I’ve never seen us come in the locker room like that at the half and then come back out like that,” Wilson said.
Part of the problem was a shift to a more predictable run-based play calling from Florida’s coaching staff.
But another part was defensive miscues and busted coverages that Anzalone said occurred “more than we’d like.”
Even though Tennessee was still down 21-17 at the start of the fourth, UT players sprinted when the ball was flipped to the other side of the field. On the sideline, reserves bounced around like they had already won.
Meanwhile, Florida’s energy was nonexistent.
And it stayed that way until the Gators filed off the field while Tennessee fans sang along to Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing.”
After the game, Wilson fielded questions from a circle of reporters outside the locker room. He spoke softly, almost as if he were humbled.
Even though he said he didn’t regret any of his smack talk, he said the loss may have been for the better. It taught his team a lesson.
“When we get up by a lot, just keep pushing, keep going,” Wilson said. “Keep doing the things we were doing to get up like that and not get content.”
Contact Patrick Pinak at ppinak@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @Pinakk12.
Austin Appleby (12) directs the offense during Florida's 38-28 loss to Tennessee on Sept. 25, 2016, at Neyland Stadium. Appleby passed for 296 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.
