02-15-2020, 07:39 AM
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee keeps putting itself in early holes and digging its way out.The 11th-ranked Volunteers have trailed by double-digit margins in three of their four games this season, yet they remain undefeated. The trend continued Saturday when they erased a 21-point deficit to beat Florida 38-28 despite missing three of their top four defensive players. Florida, which had been ranked 19th, slipped to 23rd in the latest Top 25.Their uncanny ability to finish has the Vols off to their fastest start since 2003.I feel like we play better when were down, defensive end Derek Barnett said. Thats something weve got to get corrected.Indeed, Tennessee (4-0, 1-0 SEC) cant afford to continue falling behind as its schedule gets tougher. The Vols visit No. 25 Georgia and No. 9 Texas A&M and host No. 1 Alabama in the next three weeks.But their response to adversity shows a resiliency that was missing this time last year, when Tennessee got off to a 3-4 start. The Vols have won 10 straight games since.This latest victory arguably was the most impressive of the streak. After falling behind 21-0, Tennessee scored 38 straight points. Facing the nations top-ranked defense, Tennessee scored five touchdowns in a stretch of six second-half series.Tennessee rallied despite playing without injured cornerback Cam Sutton and linebacker Darrin Kirkland Jr. The Vols also played the majority of Saturdays game without linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin.Theyre hearing the boos at halftime, Tennessee coach Butch Jones said. They could have folded. They could have come in and they could have gotten down on themselves and they didnt. They responded like you wanted them to respond.Tennessee has been outscored 34-10 in the first quarter and 60-44 in the first half. But the Vols are outscoring opponents 87-24 in the second half and overtime.Thats a marked contrast from last season, when Tennessee led in all four of its losses and was up by at least 13 points in three of them.Jones believes the team benefited from its season-opening struggles against Appalachian State, when Tennessee trailed 13-3 at halftime before rallying for a 20-13 overtime victory . Tennessee followed that up by erasing a 14-0 deficit in a 45-24 triumph over Virginia Tech .I thought that was needed, Jones said of the Appalachian State experience. I thought we needed to prove that we could not play our best, force the game to overtime and win the football game. From that point forward, weve gained confidence in close games.Jones said Tennessee played too emotionally in the first half Saturday and was living and dying on every single snap. The Vols showed more poise in the second half.Tennessee running back Alvin Kamara said he remembered how former Vols Al Wilson and Jamal Lewis told him before the game to keep the team calm, stay calm and that the message resonated throughout the day.We just had to go out, not get caught up in the moment, not get caught up in all the extra stuff thats going on, the hype and everything, quarterback Joshua Dobbs said. Just go out -- its simple -- and execute as we do in practice.Footballs a simple game. You can make it a lot more complicated than it really is.In the first half of games this season, Dobbs is completing just 50.8 percent of his passes with three touchdowns and three interceptions, and hes averaging 3 yards per carry. After halftime, Dobbs is completing 65.2 percent of his passes with seven touchdowns and two interceptions, and hes averaging 5.5 yards per rush.Dobbs production can vary wildly over the course of the game, but his attitude stays the same in any situation.At the quarterback position ... you dont want the ebbs and flows and the peaks and the valleys, Jones said. You want someone who is very consistent in their approach. Thats Joshua Dobbs. Hes very consistent in his approach. Hes very calm. Hes very collected. Our team feeds off of that.---AP college football website: http://www.collegefootball.ap.org J. J. Stokes Jersey . -- Kyrie Irvings last-minute 3-pointer helped seal another victory for Cleveland -- and the Cavaliers longest winning streak since LeBron James left. Johnny Strzykalski Jersey . The incident occurred at 19:56 of the second period of the Kings 4-2 road win over Edmonton on Sunday. Nolan punched Oilers forward Jesse Joensuu in the jaw in front of the Kings goal during a scrum. http://www.custompatriotsjersey.com/cust...-921f.html . Scott Kazmir allowed four hits in seven shutout innings, Michael Brantley hit a two-run homer in a three-run first inning and the Indians maintained their hold on an AL wild-card spot with a 4-1 win over the Houston Astros on Saturday night. Jon Morris Jersey . JOHNS, N. Ken Willard Jersey . Bjorn, who had a 36-hole total of 8-under 134, made a testing six-foot putt to save par on the 16th and a birdie on the 17th before bogeying the final hole after a misjudged approach shot. American Kevin Streelman was in second place after shooting a 69. Every once in a while a race pops up that makes you giddy with excitement from a handicapping perspective because of the many quality options for betting purposes. The Grade 1, $1 million Shadwell Turf Mile Stakes on Saturday at Keeneland Race Course is exactly that type of race.I love betting the turf races at Keeneland. So many great trainers ship in horses for the two boutique meets in the spring and fall, and the grass races almost always draw deep, competitive fields with a ton of value. Its a great feeling to bet a race with a strong opinion and know youll get rewarded for picking a winner.Of course, races such as the Shadwell Turf Mile present a heck of a challenge when one could reasonably make an argument for each of the 11 entrants to win.With that in mind, Ill map out a plan for a couple of runners that will be the key to my wagering in the Shadwell Turf Mile, which is a Win and Youre In qualifying race for the Breeders Cup Mile on Nov. 5 at Santa Anita Park.#8 Ironicus: This 5-year-old from the barn of Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey is about as honest as racehorses come. Hes won six of 13 career starts and finished in the top two in each of his last nine races. In those nine races, he won or finished within a half-length of the leader eight times, with the only clear defeat a runner-up finish by 1-3/4 lengths to superstar Flintshire in his most recent race in June 11. Ironicus prefers to come from off the pace, which works very well as a tactic on the Keeneland turf, and his trainer and jockey (Jose Ortiz) have won at a 23 percent clip on the year when joining forces. Ironicus also runs very well when rested, and McGaughey hits at 30 percent off this type of layoff. For a horse who has been the favorite in four of his last five starts, Ironicus could offer great value at somewhere in the neighborhood of 9-2 in the Shadwell Turf Mile.#7 Miss Temple City: I have a hunch that this 4-year-old filly willl be a nice value on Saturday despite having beaten males in the Grade 1 Makers 46 Mile Stakes in April at this course and distance.ddddddddddddShe was the first filly to win that race, and she has the ability to add another Grade 1 win over males on Saturday. Shes finished fourth, fourth and fifth in her last three races, but the results were far better than they look on paper. The first of the group came at the prestigious Royal Ascot meet in June in a field of 14, when she was only beaten by 3-1/4 lengths. She then finished fourth by a neck in a blanket finish in the Grade 1 Diana Stakes before pressing a hot pace and fading in the Grade 2 Ballston Spa Stakes on Aug. 27 at Saratoga. She has a win and two seconds in three starts at Keeneland, where she posted her career-best Equibase and Beyer Speed Figures in the Makers 46 Mile.I expect Mondialiste (#4) to go off as the favorite in this race after winning the Arlington Million in his most recent race and finishing second last year at Keeneland in the Breeders Cup Mile. Hes talented and in terrific form. I also respect Grand Arch (#5) as a horse for the course with three wins, three seconds and a third in seven career races on the Keeneland turf, including a win in this race in 2015.For the trifecta, Ill throw in Tower of Texas (#3) off a close second to Tepin in last months Grade 1 Ricoh Woodbine Mile Stakes, and Tourist (#10), who finished third in this race in 2015 and third in the Makers 46 Mile in the spring.Three Strategies on a $20 BudgetStrategy A $10 win-place on #8 Ironicus ($20)Strategy B $3 exacta: 7,8 with 4,5,7,8 ($18) $1 exacta box: 7,8 ($2)Strategy C 50-cent trifecta: 7,8 with 4,5,7,8 with 4,5,7,8 ($6) 50-cent trifecta: 7,8 with 4,5,7,8 with 3,4,5,7,8,10 ($12)For more stories like this check out Americas Best Racing. ' ' '