Analysis: Butch Jones finally gets his moment

The same old narrative in the Florida-Tennessee series was playing out on Saturday afternoon at Neyland Stadium. The Gators were taking it to the Volunteers, and it seemed as though Butch Jones and his staff had no answers.

After Florida steamed out to a 21-0 lead - complete with a goal-line stand from their defense - beat writers were getting a jump start on the columns. The story they were writing was simple: Butch Jones was a brilliant recruiter but a poor in-game coach, incapable of winning the big one. And who could blame them? The Vols were headed for their 12th straight loss at the hands of their bitter SEC East rival and Jones' record against ranked SEC opponents was set to sink to a lowly 2-11.

And then something entirely new happened between the orange-and-white checkerboard end zones in Knoxville: the Vols dominated a second half. Last season, the Vols wilted in the final 30 minutes of games, blowing multiple double-digit leads. On Saturday afternoon, Tennessee outscored UF 38-7 down the stretch, and Josh Dobbs finally got on the same page with his receivers. The senior leader of Tennessee finished the game with 399 total yards and five touchdowns against one of the nation’s fiercest defenses. He connected with eight different receivers on the day and tormented the Gators with his legs. He was decisive and displayed excellent touch, evidenced by his 20-yard touchdown pass to Ethan Wolf.

Butch Jones' mash unit of a defense also stepped up after spotting the Gators a 21-point lead, clamping down on Antonio Callaway after he burned them earlier in the game. The Gators had amassed 300 yards on their first six drives, then hit a wall entirely. Bob Shoop’s defense began living in the Gators’ backfield and finished the game with seven tackles for a loss despite missing a handful of starters, including lockdown cornerback Cam Sutton. The timing of this win couldn’t be better for Tennessee, as its schedule heats up considerably in the month of October. Trips to Georgia and Texas A&M await the Vols before a monstrous showdown with Alabama on the third weekend of October.

A new attitude heading into the heart of their SEC slate was vital, and it appears the Vols have shaken the paper-tiger persona they’d been saddled with after uninspiring victories over Appalachian State and Ohio. The key moving forward for both Jones and his program will be dominating all 60 minutes against quality opponents. If the dominant first-half Vols of 2015 teamed up with the 2016 squad that pummeled Florida on Saturday afternoon, they’d have a CFP-caliber recipe.

Time will tell if they can consistently deliver, but at least for one night in September, Jones can start dreaming big in the SEC.