Questions for Florida football following upset of No. 9 Tennessee Vols

Florida football scored a big upset over rival No. 9 Tennessee at The Swamp on Saturday night, one that restored confidence in the direction of the program in year two under head coach Billy Napier.

The Florida Gators (2-1, 1-0) will look to build off the win and maintain consistency when they conclude their three-game homestand Saturday against Charlotte (7 p.m., SEC Network Plus). Florida has not won three games in a row since the 2020 season.

It sets up as a potential letdown game coming off an emotional win. But Napier wants to keep the focus in practice on improving week to week.

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"This group can get better," Napier said. "That's the exciting thing to me. There's areas of our team out there where we still struggled a little bit, areas where we can get better. We have young players that are playing. And I think as they get more experience, they'll continue to improve."

Here are three questions for the Gators coming off the win over the Vols:

Can Florida football's offense maintain consistency for four quarters when holding a lead?

Napier admitted he called the Tennessee game "too conservative" in the second half trying to hold a 19-point halftime lead. Florida managed just 68 yards of offense in the second half on 25 plays (21 runs, 4 throws). The Gators did mount one scoring drive that resulted in a 27-yard Trey Smack field goal, their only trip to the red zone that didn't result in a touchdown. "All that being said, when it's a three-touchdown game and your defense is playing well, you're trying to get to the house with a W," Napier said.

Will Trey Smack take over for Adam Mihalek as the starting kicker for the Florida Gators?

It's been a rough start to the season for Mihalek, a former walk-on who earned a scholarship in the offseason after making 14 of 21 field goals. Against the Vols, Mihalek badly missed a 46-yard attempt, barely elevating the ball, and had an extra point blocked on another lower kick. Trey Smack replaced Mihalek and made both of his extra point attempts, plus a 27-yard field goal. "He hit a couple low balls early there," Napier said. "And we just felt like Trey has been doing well in practice, and we decided to put Trey in there. And, look, Adam's not the only player out there that made mistakes tonight? You know, there were several others out there. I made a bunch of mistakes myself. We'll continue to work and try to improve. And I promise you nobody wants to do their job more than Adam does."

Can UF football's defense maintain a high level of play and get more pressure on the quarterback?

The Gators limited Tennessee's high-powered offense to just 16 points, coming up with three big stops on fourth down in the second half. Tennessee went 8 of 15 on third down conversions but 0 of 3 on fourth down conversions. "To get off the field and kill the momentum get the crowd into the game, that’s what leads to momentum," Florida linebacker Scooby Williams said. "That’s why getting those fourth down stops is critical, it’s crucial to make plays when we needed to.” Freshman safety Jordan Castell had a big game with a team-high 10 tackles and a pass breakup, while Williams added eight tackles. Williams and Castell combined for a tackle for loss on a 4th-and-1 Tennessee play in the red zone that stalled a UT second-half drive. "We knew what was coming," Williams said. "We just made the play.” The Gators recorded one sack, from defensive lineman Tyreak Sapp, and had three quarterback hurries. One of the pressures by Florida defensive tackle Desmond Watson resulted in a bad Joe Milton throw that cornerback Devin Moore intercepted and returned 39 yards.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: 3 questions for Florida Gators football following win over Vols