NEW ORLEANS, LA — No. 10 Tennessee ended No. 2 Florida’s College Football Playoff run, building a commanding lead and holding off a late comeback to earn a 29-23 victory at the Caesars Superdome.

The victory sends the Volunteers into a blockbuster CFP semifinal matchup against No. 1 Georgia.

Tennessee leaned heavily on senior kicker Max Gilbert, who delivered one of the best performances of his career by converting all five of his field-goal attempts and accounting for 15 points.

For much of the afternoon, Florida’s offense struggled to find any rhythm. The Gators failed to score a touchdown until 7:04 remained in the game when quarterback DJ Lagway connected with a wide-open Amir Jackson for a 22-yard touchdown pass down the right sideline, cutting Tennessee’s lead to 23-10.

The Volunteers responded with a methodical drive that chewed valuable time off the clock before Gilbert drilled a 48-yard field goal to extend the advantage to 26-10 with 3:59 remaining.

Florida continued to battle. Lagway led another scoring drive and threw a touchdown pass with 3:05 left to trim the deficit to 26-16.

But Tennessee had an answer once again.

Gilbert put the game all but out of reach with a booming 56-yard field goal, pushing the Volunteers’ lead to 29-16 and leaving the Gators with little time to mount a comeback. Lagway threw his third touchdown pass of the day with 1:03 remaining, but Florida’s second onside-kick attempt failed, allowing Tennessee to run out the clock and secure the upset.

Quarterback Austin Mack paced the Tennessee offense, throwing for 353 yards and a touchdown. Running back Peyton Lewis added 76 rushing yards and a score on 17 carries, while tight end Ethan Davis hauled in Mack’s lone touchdown pass.

Lagway finished his senior season with 281 passing yards and three touchdowns, but Florida’s rushing attack never got going. Senior running back Treyaun Webb was limited to 41 yards on 12 carries, though he did contribute a touchdown reception.

For Tennessee, the victory keeps its national championship hopes alive. For Florida, a season that once had the Gators positioned as the No. 1 team in the nation comes to a disappointing end one game short of the CFP semifinals.