Vols twice score lickety-split late to beat Indiana in Gator Bowl
Tennessee scored two touchdowns in a late 30-second span, using an onside kick to help erase a double-digit deficit and holding on to stun Indiana 23-22 in the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Fla., on Thursday night.
The Volunteers (8-5) closed out coach Jeremy Pruitt’s second season with their sixth consecutive victory and won their fourth straight bowl game.
The Hoosiers (8-5) looked to be in control in the second half after scoring two touchdowns in a 1:13 span, the second coming on Jamar Johnson’s 63-yard interception return, and adding a pair of field goals.
Indiana was up 22-9 before Tennessee scored twice in the final 5 minutes to take the lead for good.
Quavaris Crouch scored on a 1-yard plunge and then fellow running back Eric Gray recovered a surprise onside kick that barely went the mandatory 10 yards. Gray scored from 16 yards out a few plays later to put the Vols on top.
Birmingham Bowl: Desmond Ridder ran for 105 yards and three touchdowns and threw a scoring pass to lead No. 23 Cincinnati (11-3) to a 38-6 victory over Boston College (6-7) in the weather-delayed game in Birmingham, Ala.
Briefly: Notre Dame tight end Cole Kmet announced on Twitter that he will skip his senior season to enter the NFL draft. ... Mississippi head coach Lane Kiffin hired former Maryland head coach Danny Durkin as an assistant. Durkin was fired by Maryland in 2018 after an investigation following the heatstroke death of offensive lineman Jordan McNair determined that Durkin has fostered “a culture where problems festered because too many players feared speaking out.”