Tom Petty’s “Won’t Back Down” has become a staple of the gameday experience for the Florida Gators at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
Petty was born and raised in Gainesville, and before the 4th quarter of each Gators home football game, one of his most familiar songs plays over the stadium speakers. So, naturally, with College GameDay in Knoxville ahead of Tennessee’s showdown with Florida, Vols fans took the opportunity to troll their SEC East rivals with the song playing before the start of the show.
“I thought Tennessee was ready, but as it turns out, I walk out here and they’re playing the Florida Tom Petty anthem,” Rece Davis said, to boos and voices of disapproval from the crowd. “Why are you letting that happen? Why aren’t you guys singing?”
The Vols will hope that at the end of Saturday, they’re singing a happy tune and celebrating a Tennessee victory over a Florida team that it hasn’t beaten since 2016. The 52nd meeting between the 2 programs kicks off on CBS at 3:30 p.m. ET.
There ain’t no easy way out for the @Vol_Football hex against the @GatorsFB. Hey baby, @CollegeGameDay is on Rocky Top pic.twitter.com/YG4TPIbz37
— Rece Davis (@ReceDavis) September 24, 2022
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
