Tennessee-Florida football history: All-time series record between Vols, Gators

Tennessee football's annual rivalry game against Florida is one of the more storied college football rivalries in the sport.

The Vols and Gators have faced off every year since 1990 and are set for another matchup on Saturday from Neyland Stadium in Knoxville. Coming off a 19-14 loss to Arkansas, Tennessee will seek to get back on the right track and avenge last season's loss in Gainesville.

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Florida, 3-2 , is looking to build on a two-game winning streak following a win last weekend over in-state UCF, with third-year coach Billy Napier looking to right the ship against the hardest schedule in college football.

Vols quarterback Nico Iamaleava has a chance to become the first freshman to defeat the Gators since true freshmen Erik Ainge and Brent Schaeffer did so twenty years ago in 2004.

Here's a look at the series history between Tennessee football and Florida:

Tennessee-Florida football history

Saturday will mark the 54th meeting between the programs. Since 1990, the game has been an annual staple on both team's calendars, usually in September. This marks the first time since 2014 that the teams will meet in October, marking the latest matchup for the schools since 2001, excluding the 2020 COVID-shortened season.

The teams squared off on Dec. 1, 2001, following the Sept. 11 attacks on the country, as the game was originally scheduled for Sept. 15 but was moved back until December, with the conference championship being pushed back a week because the teams did not have a common bye week.

The latest game in the series' history was on Dec. 5, 2020, when the teams met in Knoxville. Tennessee has an 8-6 record against Florida in games played in October.

Before 1990, Florida and Tennessee had faced off 19 times, with the Vols winning 13 matchups. The schools played each other in 1990 and 1991. Still, when the SEC expanded to 12 teams in 1992, Florida and Tennessee were put in the Eastern division, which pitted the teams against each other annually at a time when both programs were gaining national notoriety. The Gators and Vols combined to win two national championships in the 1990s, with Florida led by coach Steve Spurrier and Phillip Fulmer leading Tennessee.

Spurrier went 8-4 against the Vols, including denying star quarterback Peyton Manning a win against the Gators.

Tennessee record vs Florida

• Series record: Florida leads 32-21

• Tennessee at home vs Florida:13-14

• Tennessee's last win:2022 (38-33 in Knoxville)

• Florida's last win:2023 (29-16 in Gainesville)

The first matchup between Tennessee and Florida occurred on Oct. 28, 1916, with the Vols winning 24-0 in Tampa. Tennessee won the first 10 meetings of the series. Florida finally got on the board with a 14-0 win on Nov. 13, 1954, in Knoxville.

However, Florida has gone 17-2 vs. Tennessee since 2005 and has led the series 26-8 since the teams started meeting annually in 1990. The Gators won 11 straight between 2005 and 2015. The Vols ended the 11-game streak in a 38-28 win in Knoxville on Sept. 24, 2016.

Josh Heupel vs Florida

Heupel has gone 1-2 against Florida, with both losses in Gainesville. Last season, the Gators upended the Vols 29-16 in the Swamp in a surprising upset, as UT came in as the No. 11 overall team in the country. Tennessee scored first last season, but the Gators fired off 26 points behind a prolific rushing attack and built up a 26-7 halftime lead. Florida went conservative in the second half, allowing the Vols to out-gain it 387-349.

In 2022, despite a 453-yard performance from future first-round pick Anthony Richardson, the Vols beat Florida 38-33 in Knoxville. Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker had 349 passing yards, 112 rushing yards and three total touchdowns in the win. Dan Mullen and Florida beat Heupel and the Vols 38-14 in Gainesville in 2021.

Heupel is 7-2 overall against Florida teams, including 3-0 against USF, 2-0 against FAU, and 1-0 against FAMU.

Napier is 1-1 against the Vols.

Tennessee vs Florida recent football games

Florida is 14-13 in Knoxville, including a 31-19 win in 2020. The Vols are just 8-17 in Gainesville, with the last win over UF on the road coming in a 24-10 victory for Fulmer over Ron Zook and the Gators in 2003.

The Gators have a pair of walk-off wins over Tennessee, snatching a victory from right out underneath the Vols in a pair of games. On Sept. 17, 2017, Florida QB Feleipe Franks connected with receiver Tyrie Cleveland on a 63-yard touchdown on the game's final play.

In 2015, Will Grier and Antonio Callaway connected on a 63-yard touchdown with the Gators trailing 27-21 with less than two minutes remaining. Aaron Medley missed a 55-yard field goal as time expired.

"I think down deep, you just don't lose to Tennessee. And they didn't," Florida coach Jim McElwain said postgame.

Here's a look at the 10 most recent games between Florida and Tennessee. The full list can be found here .

• Sept. 16, 2023 (Gainesville): Florida 29,Tennessee 16

• Sept. 24, 2022 (Knoxville): Tennessee 38,Florida 33

• Sept. 25, 2021 (Gainesville): Florida 38,Tennessee 14

• Dec. 5, 2020 (Knoxville): Florida 31, Tennessee 19

• Sept. 21, 2019 (Gainesville): Florida 34,Tennessee 3

• Sept. 22, 2018 (Knoxville): Florida 47,Tennessee 21

• Sept. 16, 2017 (Gainesville): Florida 26,Tennessee 20

• Sept. 24, 2016 (Knoxville): Tennessee 38,Florida 28

• Sept. 26, 2015 (Gainesville): Florida 28, Tennessee 27

• Oct. 4, 2014 (Knoxville): Florida 10,Tennessee 9

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee-Florida football history: Series meetings, record, more