Another upset win for Vandy

NASHVILLE — Watch out, Tennessee? Mike Wright threw three touchdown passes as Vanderbilt upset Florida 31-24 on Saturday afternoon for its second straight Southeastern Conference victory.

There were hugs and dancing on the field, but after a 26-game SEC skid, winning two games in a row is something coach Clark Lea is taking in stride.

“This is a new era in Vanderbilt football,” said Lea, in the second year at his alma mater. “This is a game where we can look back and see when the shift happened.

“This is another step in our journey. With continued support and continued effort we have great things ahead for this program.”

Vanderbilt (5-6, 2-5) took a 7-3 lead and never looked back against Florida (6-5, 3-5). The loss ended a two-game winning streak for the Gators.

Florida had won its past eight series meetings with Vanderbilt, which closes the regular season next week by hosting Tennessee — with a chance to reach bowl eligibility for the first time since 2018 with one more upset.

The Commodores rushed for 175 yards against the Gators, with Ray Davis accounting for 122.

Florida opened the scoring with a 26-yard field goal by Adam Mihalek and managed nothing but a 44-yard Mihalek field goal the rest of the half. Vanderbilt’s advantage was 14-6 at the break, and while the Gators got within 14-12 early in the third quarter — a 2-point conversion pass failed — they moved no closer.

“It’s a setback, no question,” first year Florida coach Billy Napier said. “It is a little bit of a reality check. There were a lot of missed opportunities. I saw a lot of Florida beating Florida.”