GAINESVILLE, Fla., Dec. 1 (UPI) -- Travis Stephens ran for 226 yards and two touchdowns Saturday and fourth-ranked Tennessee halted a two-point conversion try with 70 seconds remaining to further complicate the national championship chase with a 34-32 upset of the No. 2 Florida Gators.
The result was another in a series of surprises that have produced a bizarre race for the NCAA title, following losses last weekend by then-unbeaten Nebraska and defending national champion Oklahoma.
The Volunteers ended decades of frustration at Florida Field, clinching the Southeastern Conference East Division title and a berth in the Southeastern Conference title game next weekend.
Tennessee (10-1, 7-1) had dropped its last seven meetings in Gainesville and won here for the first time since 1971. Stephens did much of the work, scoring on runs of six yards in the first quarter and 35 yards in the third.
Stephens also had a 69-yard run, breaking several tackles on a jaunt that led to a one-yard touchdown by Zack Davis that gave the Volunteers a 34-26 lead with 8:30 left.
Florida (9-2, 6-2) moved to within two points when Rex Grossman threw a two-yard pass to Carlos Perez with 1:10 left. But Grossman could not find an open receiver on the conversion try and his pass fell incomplete.
The loss ended the national title hopes of the Gators, who had taken control of their destiny thanks to the losses by Nebraska and Oklahoma.
Tennessee is very much in the championship picture. The Volunteers went into weekend as the No. 6 team in the Bowl Championship Series rankings, but there were forecasts by those who study the computer ratings that Tennessee could vault all the way to second with a win over Colorado.
Tennessee likely drew added satisfaction by ending the title hopes of Florida coach Steve Spurrier, who in past years had referred to the Volunteers as "Citrus Bowl champions" due to the Gators' success in the series.
The Gators have been a source of constant frustration for coach Phillip Fulmer, who won for just the second time in nine meetings with Florida.
Grossman made his final pitch to become the first sophomore to win the Heisman Trophy by completing 33 of 51 passes for 362 yards with one interception.
