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Bob Shoop explains final play in Vols loss to Florida

Florida's 63-yard touchdown pass on the last play of the game to beat Tennessee, 26-20, has been discussed over and over in the two days following the game.

But few people can provide more insight as to what happened than Vols defensive coordinator Bob Shoop.

Many have questioned whether the Vols should have been in a "prevent" defense, with more defenders back towards the endzone. Shoop explains that Tennessee was looking to stop a potential set up for a game-winning field goal try and the Vols efforts worked for most of the play.

"Florida has an outstanding kicker, the guy can kick 55/60-yard field goals. We thought they were going to play for getting the ball in that 35/40-yard area and kick a long field goal," Shoop said on Tuesday.

"We were in quarter-quarter-half (coverage)*, so we had four (defenders) over three (receivers) to the three receiver side and we had three (defenders) over two (receivers) to the back side. If you actually watch the play, Feleipe Franks went to his first key, wasn't there. We took away the play that they ran, which is the irony of the whole thing really. Bituli, Gaulden, Moseley and Warrior were dead on the play. They were dead on it." (meaning they were all over it and had it covered)

Gators head coach Jim McElwain said after the game that the purpose of the play was to set up a long field goal attempt.

Shoop's explanation continues:

"Then Kongbo got a little too far up the field, we should've done a little bit better job with the pass rush, not letting him set his feet. And so he looked at one, looked at two, looked at three, started to run and oddly I feel like if it had been the second or third quarter of the game, he'd have just run. But, then he said wait I can't run, I've gotta do something and somehow someway he made eye contact with Cleveland. You actually see Cleveland point and him point and he just was kind of falling backwards and I sort of wish Quarte Sapp would've been a little more explosive and knocked the dog crap out of him right there, but he didn't and he just threw a dime and the player got behind our player and it was a disastrous ending," Shoop said.

"I feel bad for our players, I feel bad for the people in this building (athletic department complex) and I feel bad for our fans because I would've like to see that one go to overtime, I think that would've been a hell of a game."

*EXPLAINING QUARTER-QUARTER HALF COVERAGE

Shoop says the Vols were playing a coverage called "Quarter-Quarter-Half." Some people might call it Cover 6.

In this coverage, there are three deep defenders. On the bottom of the screen (to the field), corner Emmanuel Moseley is responsible for a deep quarter of the field. Also on that side of the field, safety Nigel Warrior is responsible for a deep quarter of the field. On the other side (top of the screen or to the boundary), Micah Abernathy is responsible for a deep half of the field.


Underneath those three deep defenders, Tennessee has four guys playing zone coverage. The intent was to take away a 20-to-30-yard gain which would have set up a potential game-tying field goal attempt.

TRAIN RIGHT BIG BEN IN

Florida's intent was to pick up 20-30 yards and give Eddy Pineiro a shot at a long field goal. Pineiro is 3-for-3 in his career on 50+ yard field goals, hitting from 53 and 54 (twice).

The Gators ran "Train Right Big Ben In," the same play they used to beat Tennessee at the Swamp in 2015 with a 63-yard Antonio Callaway touchdown.


In 2015, Callaway was the receiver at the bottom of the screen running a dig route towards the middle of the field. This appears to be the quarterback's second read on the play.

The first read seems to be tight end C'yontai Lewis, also running a dig over the middle. Tennessee defended the play well at the beginning, taking away the two primary receivers.

Tyrie Cleveland, the guy that made the catch on Saturday, is at the top of the screen. He's basically just running a clear out - running off defenders to clear space in the middle of the field - but ends up making the big play.

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