Make it 10 straight.

That’s 10 consecutive Florida victories against Tennessee in The Swamp. The Gators’ winning streak against the Vols in Gainesville, which dates back to 2003, will surpass 2 decades. Even on a night in which Tennessee entered as nearly a touchdown favorite, the Vols still found a way to go home unhappy.

Florida’s 29-16 victory gave the Gators their first win vs. a ranked team in the SEC since Auburn in 2019.

Here are 3 takeaways from Florida’s monumental win on Saturday night:

1. Finally, the offensive game plan Florida has been waiting for

That is, the ground game got to do the heavy lifting with Trevor Etienne leading the way. He was masterful. He ran for a career-high 172 yards on 23 carries. The guy who averaged 9 carries per game last season was fed early and often behind a Florida offensive line that did its damage early.

Graham Mertz nursed an injured hand in the second half, but he avoided key mistakes and kept Florida on schedule all night.

This was the knock against Billy Napier last year. He didn’t lean on the ground game enough, and he couldn’t pull through offensive ruts because of an ineffective passing game.

Saturday night felt like a huge sign of progress for the Florida coach.

2. Holy penalties, Tennessee

Here’s what you need to know about Tennessee’s discipline. Up 13 on 4th and 1 with 6.5 minutes left, Florida lined up as if it was actually about to go for it. Graham Mertz did a hard count, and somehow, Tennessee bought it and jumped off sides. As Chris Fowler said on the broadcast, “Oh, my goodness, Tennessee jumped off … they just fell for the oldest trick in the book.”

Yep. Can’t have that. You might be able to get away with double-digit penalties at home against Austin Peay, but you can’t commit double-digit penalties at Florida. Not when you’re trying to end a 2-decade long drought. And sure, there were a couple of questionable calls (I didn’t agree with the blindside block), but the Vols were far too undisciplined on the road.

The Vols need to get that cleaned up in a hurry because it totally overshadowed how well it controlled the ball for most of the second half.

3. Let’s chill on Billy Napier hot seat conversations

Why? Like, besides the fact that he’s got a $31 million buyout?

Well, because his defensive coordinator hire, Austin Armstrong, looked excellent and his scrutinized quarterback transfer, Mertz, has looked better than advertised. That was an even bigger win than the Utah victory. This victory won’t set expectations out of whack. At least it shouldn’t. Florida is still a flawed team that’s banged up at the pass-catcher spots, but Saturday night looked like a major exhale for Napier.

The next month is full of very winnable games for the Gators. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that they can go into the Georgia game with just 1 loss.