How Tennessee football took over Swamp, ending with Joey Aguilar Gator chomp

GAINESVILLE, FL — Tennessee football fans sang, “It’s great to be a Tennessee Vol!” long after Florida fans had abandoned Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

In fact, many Gator fans left The Swamp when No. 20 Tennessee (8-3, 4-3 SEC) led 31-0 at halftime. Many more hit the exits before the last seconds ticked down of the Vols’ 31-11 win over Florida on Nov. 22, their first here since 2003.

Almost no blue-clad fans remained by the time UT quarterback Joey Aguilar did the gator chomp toward the crowd in the postgame celebration.

“It’s mandatory,” Aguilar said. “If you win here, you’ve got to do it.”

Coach Josh Heupel noticed how much orange – that is, UT’s shade of orange – surrounded the Vols as they left the field with a long-awaited win. He made a point to recognize that in his postgame press conference.

“There were a lot of Tennessee fans here tonight. We felt them. I felt them,” Heupel said. “It’s been a while since that group has been down to Gainesville and been on the right side of it. They’re a part of our journey.”

UT fans’ stadium takeover set a scene reminiscent of the 40-13 win at No. 25 LSU in Baton Rouge in 2022. This game was over as quickly as that one.

Granted, Florida (3-8, 2-6) is unranked and historically bad this season. But considering UT’s 10-game losing streak at The Swamp, winning here seemed almost as insurmountable as beating a top 10 team on the road.

Tight end Ethan Davis, who scored UT’s first touchdown to spark an early onslaught, summed up the team’s reaction from the locker room.

“We were filled with joy. We were filled with relief,” Davis said. “Winning in The Swamp is never an easy task. This one held a little more weight for us, for our coaches, for our fan base.”

Don't take Josh Heupel's streak-busting for granted

UT defensive tackle Daevin Hobbs was born in 2004, one year after the Vols’ last win at The Swamp. He said the goal of snapping that losing streak resonated with players.

“We’ve been talking about this since my freshman year when we came down here, and we all know how that game went,” said Hobbs, referring to a 29-16 loss at Florida in 2023, when the Vols were a slight favorite.

“To win in The Swamp feels good after all those years we went winless. It’s a good trajectory for our program.”

Heupel has faced criticism this season for a variety of reasons, from his game management to his decisions in key situations. But this win serves as a good reminder of how far the Vols have come under his watch.

In 2021, UT beat No. 18 Kentucky to snap an 11-game losing streak against Top 25 opponents.

In 2022, UT beat Alabama to snap a 15-game losing streak to the Crimson Tide. And in the same season, the Vols beat Florida in Knoxville for their first over the Gators in six years and second win in the series in 17 years.

Now Heupel has a 3-2 record against Florida by ending a 22-year drought in The Swamp.

Up next: ‘Thanksgiving football’ vs. Vanderbilt

It’s admirable that UT played one of its best games in late November after a playoff bid had faded from view. Other teams in a similar situation have run out of gas late in the season.

“It starts with our culture. We don’t deviate from it regardless of their record or our record. Our mindset was about dominating,” said linebacker Arion Carter, who fought through multiple injuries to play one of his best games against Florida.

Heupel let his players bask in a locker room celebration for an extra moment after this one. But he knows there’s another streak on the line in the next game, and UT is on the top side of it.

Tennessee plays No. 13 Vanderbilt (9-2, 5-2) on Nov. 29 (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) at Neyland Stadium to finish the regular season.

ADAMS: No chomping, just Tennessee stomping in The Swamp

The Vols have won six straight over their in-state rival, but these aren’t the same old Commodores. They have a shot at a playoff bid if they can beat UT.

“We’ll enjoy this one on the plane ride back (to Knoxville). It’ll be early morning when we get there,” Heupel said. “But then it’ll be time to get ready for Thanksgiving football.”

Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email [email protected]. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.

Get the latest news and insight on SEC football by subscribing to the SEC Unfiltered newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee football celebration, Joey Aguilar Gator chomp after Florida game