25 Cheers for 25 Years: “He’s going to score! He’s going to score!”
Antonio Callaway #81 of the Florida Gators scores the winning touchdown during a game against the Tennessee Volunteers at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on September 26, 2015 in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
That was Florida radio broadcaster Mick Hubert’s call of Antonio Callaway’s miraculous touchdown to beat Tennessee in 2015. If you are a Gator diehard, you know it.
As the clock began winding down in the Swamp on a sweltering Saturday in September, Tennessee fans were reveling in the glory of a rivalry win. Up 27-14 with less than five minutes to play, it looked like the Volunteers were finally going to snap its decade-long losing streak to the Gators.
But The Swamp is magical and the rivalry had another twist.
What followed was one of most improbable comebacks in Florida football history — capped by a 4th-and-14 miracle that’s now the stuff of legend. Redshirt freshman Will Grier, playing through the flu and a hammering from Tennessee’s defense, was gritty and delivered a signature moment for Gators football.
Florida entered the game with 10 straight wins over the Vols, but this team — under first-year head coach Jim McElwain — was young and still trying to find its footing. The Gators were 3-0 but hadn’t been tested. Tennessee, meanwhile, came in hungry, determined to end the streak and shake off years of heartbreak.
For most of the day, it looked like they would. Florida’s offense was sluggish. Grier struggled to connect. The Gators fell behind by 13 with time slipping away. The Swamp, usually rocking, was crickets.
But then something happened.
With just over four minutes to go, Grier led a 52 second drive, finishing it with a five-yard TD pass to Brandon Powell. Suddenly it was 27-21, and the crowd was alive again. Florida’s defense got a quick stop, giving the ball back with 1:26 left — no timeouts, 86 yards to go.
It was all hanging by a thread.
Then came 4th-and-14. One play to save the game. Grier dropped back and hit true freshman Antonio Callaway right at the sticks. First down — but it wasn’t over. Callaway spun out of two missed tackles, found the sideline, and took off. Brandon Powell threw the block of his life, and just like that, Callaway was gone.
Sixty-three yards. Touchdown. The Swamp became an insane asylum.
Florida took the lead 28-27, scoring 14 points in just over three minutes. On the sideline, players were stunned. Fans were losing their minds.
“That kid is going to be something special,” linebacker Jarrad Davis said of Callaway.
But Tennessee still had a shot. The Vols drove down and lined up for a 55-yard field goal with seconds left. The crowd held its breath.
Wide right. Ballgame.
Florida 28, Tennessee 27.
In Gainesville, fans still talk about that play. 4th-and-14. Grier to Callaway. The sprint down the sideline. The crowd losing it. It's one of those moments that etches itself into school history.
Mick Hubert’s call rings true. He did score, and Gators everywhere will never forget it.
