Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Dobbs leads Vols back against Gators
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee delivered the comeback this time.
And in the process, the Volunteers took out 11 years’ worth of frustration on Florida.
Joshua Dobbs accounted for five second-half touchdowns Saturday and No. 14 Tennessee erased a 21-point deficit to beat No. 19 Florida 38-28 and end their 11-game losing streak in the annual series.
“I didn’t see anybody blink,” Tennessee Coach Butch Jones said. “Nobody flinched. They just kept playing.”
This marks the first time Tennessee (4-0, 1-0) has beaten Florida (3-1, 1-1) since 2004. The Volunteers had lost to Florida by one point each of the last two years despite leading in the fourth quarter of both games.
Florida was so confident it would continue the streak that Gators cornerback Quincy Wilson boldly said this week that “nobody has ever seen a duck pull a truck. Florida Gators are going to win, simple as that.”
Tennessee silenced the Gators by reeling off 38 consecutive points.
Dobbs went 16 of 32 for 319 yards with 4 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. He also rushed for 80 yards and a touchdown.
Trailing 21-0 early against the nation’s top-ranked defense, Tennessee stormed back and pulled ahead for good 2421 with 12:45 left on Dobbs’ 67-yard completion to a wideopen Jauan Jennings, who bobbled the ball a few times near the right sideline before making the catch while staying inbounds.
“They came in and took it to us,” Florida Coach Jim McElwain said. “It’s disappointing. We’ve got a bunch of guys hurting in the locker room. … These are life lessons. Not every day does everything go just like you wanted. I think the key is what you learn from it and how you’re going to respond.”
Florida took an early 21-0 advantage on two Austin Appleby touchdown passes and a 1-yard run by Jordan Scarlett. Both Appleby touchdown passes were set up by long completions from Appleby to Antonio Callaway. The Gators led 21-3 at halftime.
Appleby threw three touchdown passes and one interception while starting in place of Luke Del Rio, who injured his left knee last week in a 32-0 rout of North Texas.
Twice in the first half, Tennessee got inside Florida’s 5-yard line and failed to score.
“We came into the locker room and we said, ‘Don’t panic,’” Dobbs said. “It was simple. We’ve just got to execute. We’ve just got to play our brand of football. We were moving the ball on them the whole game.”
AUBURN 18, NO. 18 LSU 13
AUBURN, Ala. — Daniel Carlson kicked six field goals and Auburn beat No. 18 LSU 18-13 on Saturday night after officials ruled Danny Etling’s apparent last-gasp scoring pass came after time expired.
Etling rolled to his right and found D.J. Shark on a 15-yard pass, setting off a celebration by LSU players. Officials ruled time expired before Etling took the snap.
The celebration shifted to the Auburn sideline when officials announced the decisive ruling.
It was an important victory for Auburn (2-2, 1-1 SEC) and Coach Gus Malzahn, who faced increased criticism following losses to Top 25 opponents Clemson and Texas A&M.
An illegal shift penalty against LSU (22, 1-1) left the Tigers with a fourth-down play from the 15 with 5 seconds remaining, setting up the final-play drama.
Carlson kicked a 37-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter to give Auburn a 15-13 lead. He added to the lead with a 29-yarder with less than 3 minutes remaining before LSU began its desperate, final drive.
Carlson is 12 for 12 on field goals this season.
LSU star running back Leonard Fournette had 16 carries for 101 yards.
Auburn linebacker Tre Williams was ejected for targeting in the second quarter.
VANDERBILT 31, WESTERN KENTUCKY 30, OT
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — Vanderbilt’s defense turned away a 2-point conversion play at the end of the first overtime as the Commodores escaped with a victory over Western Kentucky.
Kyle Shurmur’s 5-yard pass to Nathan Marcus on the first possession of overtime gave Vanderbilt (2-2) its first lead of the game, and Tommy Openshaw added the point after for the Commodores.
Western Kentucky (2-2) answered quickly, needing just two plays to find the end zone on Mike White’s 8-yard pass to Shaquille Johnson.
Hilltoppers Coach Jeff Brohm elected to go for two points. White rolled to his right, but his pass was batted into the air and intercepted in the middle of the defensive line, as Vanderbilt players rushed the field to celebrate the victory.
The Commodores went 75 yards in the final 1:02 of regulation in seven plays to tie the game at 24-24 and force overtime. A pass interference call in the end zone on Western Kentucky’s De’Andre Simmons against Vanderbilt’s Trent Shurfield gave the Commodores the ball at the Hilltoppers 2 with three seconds to play in regulation. Vanderbilt running back Ralph Webb, who had three rushing touchdowns in the game, leaped from just inside the 5 and landed just beyond the front edge of the end zone for the tying score.
The Hilltoppers built a 14-0 lead in the first half, getting a 4-yard run from Anthony Wales to cap the opening drive of the game. Western Kentucky added a second-quarter score when backup quarterback Tyler Ferguson hit Nacarius Fan on a 61-yard pass play.
Webb capped touchdown drives for Vanderbilt of 4 and 2 yards to tie the game briefly at 14-14.
Wales put the Hilltoppers back in front with a 20-yard touchdown and the teams traded fourth-quarter field goals before the Commodores game-tying drive.