Omari Thomas explains the 'disrespect' that led to fight at the end of the Tennessee-Florida game
On third down, with 11 seconds left in the fourth quarter Saturday night at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, the Florida offensive line let the Tennessee defensive line know what was coming.
The Gators were going to run a play and not take a knee.
“We’re gonna actually run a play right here, protect yourself,” Florida center Kingsley Eguakun told Tennessee’s Omari Thomas, who was telling the story Monday during an appearance at the Knoxville Quarterback Club.
Running back Trevor Etienne rushed for three yards on the next play and was tackled by Tennessee’s Omarr Norman-Lott as the Gators were putting the finishing touches on a 29-16 win.
Florida took a timeout with 14 seconds left, before Etienne’s last rush attempt, and Tennessee’s Josh Heupel took a timeout with nine seconds left, attempting to get the ball back inside the Florida 40-yard line.
‘We kind of take it as disrespect, because you easily could just take a knee’
“Then the next play, when they were actually taking a knee, (Eguakun) came out, he said, we’re gonna take a (knee),” Thomas said. “I’m like, okay, cool. So you taking the knee, we expecting you to catch the ball one step back and take knee.”
But Graham Mertz didn’t do that. He took the snap, took a few steps back but hesitated to take the knee, seemingly trying to run out the clock.
The trouble started when Thomas got to Mertz in the backfield.
“Once we see you back there dancing around with the ball,” Thomas said, “like we kind of take it as disrespect, because you easily could just take a knee right there.
“I see him and I’m like, are you just dancing back there?” Thomas continued. “So I get to the quarterback and he’s like going down as I’m getting to them. So I kind put my shoulder in there, pull out.”
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When Thomas hit Mertz, a scuffle between the two teams broke out, with players having to be separated with just four second on the clock. Florida was called for unsportsmanlike conduct and Norman-Lott was called for targeting, with the penalties offsetting.
The SEC announced on Monday that Norman-Lott would be suspended for the first half of No. 23 Tennessee’s game against UTSA on Saturday (4 p.m. Eastern Time, SEC Network) at Neyland Stadium while Florida players Damieon George Jr., Micah Mazzccua and Dante Zanders will be suspended for the first half of Saturday’s game against Charlotte.
Heupel explained the use of his late timeout during his postgame press conference.
“That sequence right there,” he said, “we’re trying to get the ball back here. Trying to get a shot in the end zone. I don’t know if you’re gonna have enough time for an onside (kick) and maybe get it and get it, a shot back. But you’re trying to finish and compete the right way.”
What Heupel wasn’t trying to do was prompt a fight between the two teams, marring the ending of a game that was already over.
“He’s dancing around,” Heupel said of Mertz before he took the knee. “Do you want the targeting? Obviously not. If the guy’s dancing around, you gotta go tackle with the guy too. So do we want to be composed in that situation in all situations? Absolutely.”
