Antonio Callaway’s miracle play helped spark one of Florida’s wildest wins

If you were in the Swamp on September 26, 2015, that is a game and an atmosphere you will never forget. It was a 3:30PM game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium with 90,527 fans, mostly the good ole’ rowdy reptiles that are Gator fans in attendance. It was the night that the Florida Gators stunned the Tennessee Volunteers, defeating them by just one in a 28-27 nail-biter that extended Florida’s win streak over Tennessee.

It was a defensive battle through the first quarter, with the Gators and Volunteers deadlocked 7-7 after the first 15 minutes.

The Gators struck first with 10:23 left in the first when Kelvin Taylor went on a five-yard run to score the first touchdown of the game that concluded a four-play, 70-yard possession for Florida (Jorge Powell extra point kick).

As usual, with a Florida score, the fireworks lit up the scoreboard above the student section, and an already loud Swamp got even louder and even rowdier as the Gators had an early lead over Tennessee.

Tennessee struck next with 5:23 left in the quarter on a 58-yard pass reception from Josh Dobbs to Jauan Jennings to tie it 7-7 (Aaron Medley extra point kick). That dampened the crowd a little as Gators fans were back to biting their nails with a tie game. Yes, it was early, but rivalry games in the swamp get tense as they all have a playoff atmosphere and are must-win games.

Tennessee shut down the Gators’ offense in the second quarter, but scored 10 more in the quarter: They drove 84 yards for a touchdown with 8:18 left in the quarter and five minutes later kicked a field goal to go into halftime up on the Gators by ten. Will Grier threw his first interception of the day in the second quarter, but Tennessee was not able to capitalize as the Gators held them to a 10-point lead at the half.

Coming out of the half, Tennessee quickly extended its lead with a field goal four minutes into the half on nine plays, 56 yards, as the Gators couldn’t get their offense going.

But with 7:29 left in the third, the Gators recovered a fumble by Tennessee and proceeded to drive to the Tennessee 29-yard line on the recovery. With 5:42 left in the quarter, the Gators finally drove down the field and scored again to bring the Volunteers lead to a just one-score lead as a touchdown by Kelvin Taylor (his second on the day) made it a 20-14 game (Powell kick) going into a do-or-die 4th quarter for the Gators.

As 90,527 Gator fans sang, “We are the boys,” proclaiming that “In all kinds of weather, we all stick together, for F-L-O-R-I-D-A,” there was an urgency among the crowd and down on the field.

Things got more tense, though, as Jalen Hurd ran for a 10-yard touchdown run with 10:19 left in the game to put Tennessee up by 13.

But then the Gators came running. With 4:09 left in the game, Will Grier sent a five-yard touchdown reception to Brandon Powell (Powell kick) to pull the Gators back within six in a 27-21 game.

Three minutes later, with 1:26 remaining, it wasn't looking great for Florida. Down 27-21, the Gators faced 4th and 14.

That's when Antonio Callaway came up with his 63-yard catch and run that sent The Swamp into an insane asylum.

This is when the atmosphere completely changed in Gainesville. Barely any fans had left the stadium, if any. It was loud. The sun was setting, and things were getting wild. With fans chanting, Tennessee continued to drive the ball.

The possession went all the way until the clock was at 00:03 in the game. Out came Medley to try to get the win for Tennessee and kill a 10-game win streak the Gators had over Tennessee going into that game.

But under the lights of a sold out, loud, rowdy Gainesville swamp, Medley missed a 55-yard field goal as time expired and the Gators went on to defeat Tennessee in dramatic, comeback fashion to extend their win streak over Tennessee to 11-games.

I was seated behind a defeated Tennessee sideline for that game. Fans began to chant “It’s Great to be a Florida Gator” loudly as Tennessee players looked onto the field in defeat, as the Swamp was hopping with excitement, and fans left victorious.

There were cheers, hugs, and some fans even crying, overcome with emotion. It was a game that mattered. Though it wasn’t the college football playoffs, the dramatic fashion of that game gave it playoff-like vibes. 

"That was pretty cool out there," McElwain said. "A great atmosphere."

There is NOTHING like the atmosphere of close games in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. And September 26, 2015 will go down in University of Florida history as one of the most electrifying games and wins.