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Most expected a blowout, but it didn't happen that way.

Tennessee, an up to 30 point underdog in this game, fought hard and didn't listen to a lot of oddsmakers and sportscasters (like me!) and gave Florida all it could handle before losing 23-13 last week in Gainesville.

In hosting a very long "Extra Point" postgame show on AM 850 and Rock 104 after the game, a lot of Gator fans almost sounded like Florida lost the game, lamenting missed tackles, conservative play calling, poor play by the offensive line and lack of a throwing game.

All true at times.

And yet despite all that Florida won against an SEC opponent and that's the most important thing; Florida got the W. Sure, there are plenty of things Florida needs to work on to get better but quarterback Tim Tebow for one is going to enjoy the win.

"I don't know I think there's always pressure on a team," Tebow said. "I don't think you can really buy into that; that's always going to happen every game. I mean this was a hyped game, this is a big rivalry game so you never know what can happen and I think in those environments in those games you have to be ready so I think it was a big win for us; we came out on top and we're going to celebrate that and enjoy it."

Speaking of Tebow, it wasn't a vintage day for him; he fumbled deep in Vol territory that led to a score and he also threw a pick that led to a field goal. He threw for only 115 yards but did carry it a whopping 24 times, a sign that the Gators wanted to put the ball in his hands, rely on the defense, and just come out with a win.

Maybe if the game plan was conservative, it was because of a lack of offensive people being healthy as Gator head coach Urban Meyer said many key offensive players were sick. Jeff Demps had a 101 degree fever, tight end Aaron Hernandez was in isolation with the flu on Friday and wide receiver Deonte Thompson didn't dress because of a hamstring injury. The Gators just don't have a lot of depth at wide receiver and Florida clearly missed Thompson's speed and big play ability. With key offensive players either out or not full go, the offense suffered.

But also give some credit to Tennessee defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin for coming up with a nice game plan; his defense forced two turnovers, sacked Tebow three times and had eight tackles behind the line of scrimmage as it often fooled Florida with a variety of zone blitzes and attacks.

And speaking of defense, a lot certainly is expected of Florida's defense. It held Tennessee to just 210 yards of total offense and yet defensive coordinator Charlie Strong complained of missed assignments and missed tackles after the game and truth be told, he's right. With all due respect to Tennessee, its quarterback play is average at best as are its receivers and yet the Vols were able to run the ball fairly effectively even though everyone in the stadium knew that's what their game plan was going to be. Tennessee also converted 5 of 12 third down opportunities.

Still, Coach Meyer was pleased with the win.

"That was a hard fought great win for Florida," Meyer said. "Is there a lot of work to be done? Yeah, you saw the same thing I did...a lot of time the work to be done is dictated by the caliber of athlete you're going against and I think sometimes that gets lost in the nonsense. We're very pleased with the win."

So as the dust settles on Week 3 of the season, where is this Florida team? Well, it is still number one in the nation, but also a team that is far from perfect and a team that can be beaten on any given week if things go wrong and mistakes are not corrected. Still, we're talking about a team with a solid defense, a tremendous kick return weapon in Brandon James, and an offense that is capable when it is healthy.

Five wins in a row over Tennessee is great, no matter how sloppy or not pretty it might be. I have the feeling this rivalry is going to be rekindled in very short order, because I believe Lane Kiffin and his staff can coach and recruit and the talent gap that is very evident now between these two teams will be shortened.

And that should make for some great games in the future.

But celebrate this win now, because SEC wins should be celebrated...always.