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Explain the end of the first half of Tennessee football against Florida

Explain the end of the first half of Tennessee football against Florida

The first half of Tennessee's football game against Florida on Saturday ended with sloppy play that marred the entire half.

Florida scored a field goal but had it thwarted by a penalty and then didn't get a second attempt due to a 10-second offensive penalty runoff.

The Gators led the Vols 3-0 at halftime.

What happened at the end of the first half between Tennessee and Florida?

Florida ran down the field for its final field goal attempt without a timeout to stop the clock. Kicker Trey Smack hit a 43-yard field goal to give Florida a 6-0 lead.

But the Gators were called for an illegal substitution because there were 12 players on the field. The penalty resulted in a 10-second runoff for an offensive penalty in the final minute of the half. Florida could have avoided the runoff if it had been able to use a timeout, but it also wouldn't have been in the starting position if it had had a timeout.

The runoff rule is intended to prevent the offense from stopping the clock with a violation or willful penalty if it does not have a timeout to stop the clock.

The Vols forced the Gators to run down the field and scramble for a field goal attempt by sacking quarterback Graham Mertz and suffering a 10-yard loss on third down. UT defensive lineman Omarr Norman-Lott and defensive back Boo Carter sacked Mertz.

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The Gators scored the field goal on 4th-and-24. Smack attempted the field goal one second before halftime as two flags flew in the air. The officials conferred and decided that the half was over.

Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you like Mike's coverage, consider a digital subscription to access everything.

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