JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Tennessee Volunteers are coming home from Jacksonville as Gator Bowl Champions after pulling off a wild last-minute rally in the fourth to defeat Indiana, 23-22.
Freshman RB Eric Gray's performance and ability to recover a game-changing onside kick led to him being named MVP of the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl
Pruitt said he felt like the ability to pull of the onside kick was there -- putting his confidence in his players.
"I'm just glad I caught it," Gray said after the game.
Jauan Jennings has played his final game as a Tennessee Vol. His thoughts on the 23-22 win against Indiana: "This is unbelievable."
On the topic of switching between QBs Jarrett Guarantano and Brian Maurer, Pruitt said Jarrett "didn't play good," so he plucked him out of the game in the 3rd quarter. However, he said Maurer "didn't play good, either," which Pruitt said led to him putting Guarantano back in the game.
Fourth Quarter:
-The Hoosiers take it into Tennessee territory again, with kicker Logan Justus making a 30-yard FG attempt to improve Indiana's lead 22-9.
-Boos erupt from a mostly-orange crowd as Tennessee goes three-and-out with 9:11 left in the game.
-Tennessee's defense holds up against the Hoosiers -- who punt it away with just over 7 minutes left.
-The Vols work to regain their footing, finally carrying it into the end zone for their first touchdown of the game. Tennessee closes the gap, Hoosiers lead 22-16.
-Tennessee catches Indiana off-guard and successfully pulls of a much-needed onside kick to get the ball back. Tennessee scores on the drive, bringing the Vols back into the lead 23-22
-The Hoosiers get the ball back and manage to complete a 39-yard pass down the field on the first play, setting themselves up for a possible field goal. Much to the relief of Tennessee -- the Hoosiers miss the kick, giving the Vols the ball back with 2:12 left.
-Tennessee punts the ball with :55 left in the game, but the Hoosiers were unable to get into field goal range. Vols go on to win this one 23-22.
End of Third Quarter: Indiana leads 19-9
-The Hoosiers get the ball again to start the second half, returning the kick to the 31-yard line. Hoosiers end up getting into scoring position again with less than 11 minutes in the 3rd. Indiana manages to drive into the end zone, scoring the first touchdown of the game to put the Hoosiers up 10-6 with roughly 9:30 left in the 3rd.
-Indiana gets a pick-six off a throw by Guarantano just after the return. The Hoosiers miss the extra point -- Indiana now leads the Vols 16-6.
-Pruitt puts freshman Brian Maurer in at QB for the Vols.
-A drive by the Vols ends with Cimaglia back on the field, who makes it look easy. He scores on a 44-yard FG attempt. Hoosiers lead 16-9.
-Hoosiers get the ball back, managed to kick a 49-yard FG to improve to a 1-point lead. Indiana leads 19-9.
-Guarantano is brought back in as QB. Vols trail in the 3rd, 19-9.
End of Second Quarter - Vols lead 6-3.
-Tennessee's Brent Cimaglia kicks a 23-yard FG to put the Vols into the lead: Vols 3, Indiana 0 at the start of 2Q.
-Shamburger gets a huge 3rd down sack. Indiana will punt it away with about 11:30 left in the 2nd.
-Tennessee drives down the field, calls a time out on 3rd and 12 at Indiana's 15-yard line. Guarantano's pass is nearly intercepted, Cimaglia comes onto the field again and nails a 32-yard field goal to put the Vols up 6-0 with 5:21 left in 2Q.
-Peyton Ramsey gets sacked yet again by the Vols. Tennessee looks to get the ball back again with less than 4 minutes in the quarter.
-Indiana's defense makes a big play, picking off a ball thrown by Guarantano. The Hoosiers take over on Tennessee's 43-yard line. Indiana later calls a timeout on 3rd and 6 with 1:08 left.
-Indiana manages to scramble down the field into scoring position, spiking the ball with :03 left. The Hoosiers manage to make the field goal to put themselves on the board heading into halftime. Tennessee leads 6-3.
-Having served his first-half suspension spurred from an altercation during the Vanderbilt game, wide receiver Jauan Jennings will be able to step onto the field in the second half
End of First Quarter (0-0):
-The Vols take the field on offense with Jarrett Guarantano starting as QB.
-Indiana's defense makes the stop and forces the punt. The Hoosiers have the ball for the first time with 13:14 left in the quarter.
-Shawn Shamburger with the Vols makes a huge play -- intercepting a pass from Indiana QB Peyton Ramsey to give the Vols the ball again.
-Guarantano throws a long ball down the field that is caught by freshman Ramel Keyton, putting the Vols in scoring position. The Vols are unable to capitalize after attempting to go for a fourth down touchdown, turning the ball back over to Indiana on the 5-yard line.
-The Vols get back into scoring position with less than a minute left in the first quarter, the quarter ends scoreless.
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But before the game and between practices, the team enjoyed some time in sunny Florida! The team is documenting the trip via social media. We collected the best of the best tweets here:
The team arrived in Jacksonville on Sunday night but the support staff was there, getting everything ready for the team!
On Monday, Vol Navy took on a whole new meaning!
The players visited the Mayport Naval Base, where several U.S. naval officers gave them tours of the USS Indianapolis and the USS Billings ships.
The team had a chance to learn about the ships' functions and weaponry, while also taking turns in the captain's seat.
"It's a great opportunity for those guys," said head coach Jeremy Pruitt. "It's something that they probably never did before. I was hoping they would put life jackets on some of them just in case, but it sounds like everything went pretty smooth."
Monday evening, the Vols got a chance to give back. They helped pack 500 backpacks full of healthy food for Florida kids in need. The program is called Blessings in a Backpack.
The players were able to add notes of inspiration to each bag.
On Tuesday, the football players showed off their golf skills.. more or less.
The team visited TopGolf for some fun and a little smack talk!
Look what happened on Wednesday in the home of the Jaguars? The orange checkerboards will be awaiting the Vols on Thursday!
Pruitt and the Tennessee captains also got to spend some special time Wednesday with some amazing kids!
The Dreams Come True of Jacksonville organization is dedicated to bringing hope and joy to children battling a life-threatening illness by fulfilling dreams.
The players, along with UT cheerleaders, Smokey the mascot and Smokey X, spent time hanging out with the kids, signing autographs and handing out BIg Orange gear.
Speaking of those captains... the Gator Bowl will be the seniors' last game in orange and white. At the press conference on Wednesday, Pruitt credited those seniors will making the season turnaround happen.
The Vols also released one of its amazing hype videos, this one narrated by former QB Josh Dobbs. It's inspiring and exciting!
We got our first glimpse of Smoky X on the Vol Twitter page on Thursday... and of course, it's adorable!
Everyone's favorite bluetick coonhound was being walked by Vols' senior WR Jauan Jennings.
Smokey also got to go for a little pre-game jog on the beach.
When the Vols pulled up to TIAA Bank Field Thursday afternoon -- it was a sea of orange.