Vols, Florida Gators fans shouldn't feel comfortable with a lead

Tennessee did more than end Florida’s 11-game winning streak in the series last season. It bolstered a new theme.

The theme: Be wary of leads. Fans of both teams should be aware of that when their teams meet in The Swamp on Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET, CBS).

In each of the past three games between Tennessee and Florida, the loser seemingly had the game in hand at one point.

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In 2014, the Vols entered the fourth quarter at Neyland Stadium leading 9-0. But given Florida's offensive struggles, UT’s advantage seemed even larger – until the Gators turned to backup quarterback Treon Harris.

He produced just enough offense to overturn UT’s lead and hand Florida a 10-9 victory.

A year later, the Vols seemingly had an even tighter grip on a victory. They held a 27-14 lead with 10:19 to play, and Florida was backed up to its own 14-yard line in The Swamp when the game flipped drastically.

Florida converted first downs on two fourth-down plays en route to a 17-play, 86-yard touchdown drive that provided a preview of the drama to come. On the Gators’ next possession, quarterback Will Grier teamed up with wide receiver Antonio Callaway on fourth down for a game-winning, 63-yard touchdown play with 1:26 to play.

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Tennessee needed only one year to upstage that comeback.

The Vols rarely have looked worse under coach Butch Jones than in falling behind the Gators 21-3 at Neyland Stadium. And they seldom have looked better than in scoring 35 second-half points on the way to a 10-point victory.

Those three improbable outcomes speak to more than the teams’ resilience. They remind you that although Florida has ruled the series, winning 11 of the past 12 games, neither program has been at the top of its game the past few years.

Even while Florida was sustaining its winning streak, former coach Will Muschamp couldn’t hold his job. And although Florida coach Jim McElwain won the SEC East in each of the past two seasons, he also lost four games each season.

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At least Florida has won the division. Tennessee hasn’t won the SEC East since 2007.

UT’s failure to win the East last season was magnified because it beat division rivals Florida and Georgia on back-to-back Saturdays with historic comebacks. But by the end of the regular season, those victories almost had become a negative: How could a team good enough to beat both the Gators and Bulldogs lose to South Carolina and Vanderbilt?

Those results coupled with the recent history of the series should serve as a reminder to fans in The Swamp: Don’t get ahead of yourself.

These might be Top 25 teams, but they aren’t top-10 teams. You can’t count on them to put two great halves back-to-back.

And in Tennessee’s case, you can’t assume that if it’s good enough to beat the Gators, it’s good enough to play for the SEC championship.

Reach John Adams at john.adams@knoxnews.com or 865-342-6284 and on Twitter @johnadamskns.