WATCH: Florida players react to Tennessee loss, Graham Mertz injury

As two-touchdown underdogs, the Gators put themselves in position to pull off an upset Saturday night at No. 8 Tennessee. But Florida lost the lead and two of its top offensive players in the second half, falling 23-17 to the Vols.

It was a devasting loss for the Florida Gators, whose offense left several points on the field and wasted a strong performance from their defense. They also missed a 47-yard field goal in overtime and had another kick negated due to a penalty.

“Definitely a tough one today,” said UF receiver Chimere Dike, who caught the game-tying touchdown to force OT. “But you have two choices. You can either fold or you can respond and keep being better.

“And I know we’re gonna pick the latter of the two and get to practice on Monday and get to watch the film tomorrow. And it’s a tough pill to swallow, but we’ve got to move on and get better.”

Dike and starting linebacker Shemar James met with reporters to react to the game, injuries to quarterback Graham Mertz and running back Montrell Johnson Jr., how the team responded and more.

After pitching a first-half shutout, the Gators gave up 17 points in the second half and allowed Tennessee’s offense to drive 25 yards in five plays for the game-winning touchdown in overtime.

“They kind of changed it up a little bit on us coming out of halftime,” James said. “It was kind of up to us to adjust, and we kind of came up short on that. So, it’s just getting back to the drawing board and getting ready for the next game.”

In the video below, check out what Dike and James had to say after the loss.

Florida Gators react to Tennessee loss

Q&A with Chimere Dike, Shemar James

On the mood in the locker room at halftime: 

Dike: “We knew that as long as we were taking care of the things we needed to take care of, especially offensively, we could have maybe had some more points, but we had confidence going into second half that we’re gonna be able to clean those things up. And, obviously, looking back on it, you wish you would have in the first half as well. But, those are things that you can’t change now. You got to move on and improve.”

On bouncing back after Mertz’s injury, rallying around DJ Lagway: 

Dike: “Yeah, I mean, it’s obviously tough. Graham’s our leader, you know. A guy who’s had a lot of experience, and, you know, a big part of our team. I think DJ did a really good job responding in that situation and going to work. And, you know, he fought his tail off. That’s all you can ask for him.”

On rallying around true freshmen in DJ Lagway and Jadan Baugh: 

Dike: “Yeah, super proud of those guys. You know, it’s a big moment, obviously a huge game, and the way that they played and competed for four quarters, you got to respect that. And they definitely are going to be a huge part of this team moving forward.”

On what they’d attribute the defensive improvements to:

James: “I would say it’s the competitiveness in practice. Kind of just the support staff that help us get better each and every day. You know, a bunch of hands-on learning. And going against the offense each and every day in practice. You know, they make us better. We make each other better.”

On how important it is to move on after the disappointing loss: 

Dike: “Yeah, obviously you have to go in tomorrow and be honest with yourself about what you need to clean up. I think that’s the first thing. But then after that, you can’t cry over spilled milk. Like, we got more games to play. We got a really good team in the locker room. We just know we got to put things together. And, we’re gonna continue to have a good week of practice. We’re gonna go in The Swamp on Saturday and compete.”

On how prepared the offense is to rally around DJ if Mertz is out: 

Dike: “Yeah, I think we’re super prepared. Obviously, you know, my prayers go to Graham. That’s my guy, and I’m hoping he’s going to be alright. But DJ is obviously a really capable player, and I know the guys believe in him and his work ethic, so I don’t think it should be an issue if that’s what’s needed.”

On the play of the special teams unit being overshadowed by mistakes: 

Dike: “I think it’s more frustrating we couldn’t get the win. Like, there’s mistakes that were made, and I know I could have played better. There’s things I could have cleaned up. So, it’s like being able to look at every single aspect. I don’t think it’s one thing or one play that you kind of look back on. It was multiple tonight, and we got to clean that up.”

On where Florida is now based on preseason expectations: 

James: “We always have high hopes for this team, for each other. And, you know, it’s kind of like something that we weren’t expecting. But, like he said, you can’t cry over spilled milk. It’s next week mentality, next game mentality, next drive mentality. So, you know, we can’t cry over losses or what may happen. But all we know is we got to come in next week and get a win.”

On the turnovers forced by the defense, what was the difference: 

James: “We preach takeaways in practice. We worked the takeaway drills in practice, and it’s great to see that come to the field on Saturdays. And, you know, I wish we could have had a little bit more, but that’s kind of how the ball crumbled for us today.” 

On the defensive improvement, how encouraging it is despite the loss: 

James: “Yeah it was great for us, you know, kind of to see the improvement week to week. You know, it kind of starts in practice, going against the offense each and every day. They get us better. So, it’s great to see the product get put on film.”