GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Backup cornerback Reggie Lewis, beaten all game by Vanderbilt’s bigger receivers, intercepted Jay Cutler’s first pass in the second overtime to give No. 13 Florida a 49-42 victory over the pesky Commodores.
Cutler threw for 361 yards and four touchdowns, including two in the final 2:17 of regulation to send the game into overtime.
Vanderbilt and Florida exchanged touchdowns in the first overtime. Jeff Jennings ran 8 yards for a score for the Commodores, then Chris Leak answered with a 9-yard TD pass to Chad Jackson.
Jemalle Cornelius made a leaping, 16-yard touchdown catch in the back of the end zone that put the Gators ahead in the second overtime.
Cutler, whose interception and fumble in regulation led to 14 points for the Gators, tried to throw an out pass on the ensuing play. But Lewis stepped in front of the pass and picked it off.
Florida (7-2, 5-2) can win the Eastern Division and advance to the conference title game in Atlanta by beating South Carolina next week and having No. 11 Georgia lose either of its final league games against Auburn and Kentucky.
Vanderbilt (4-5, 2-4) needs to beat Kentucky and Tennessee to become bowl eligible for the first time since 1982.
AP-ES-11-05-05 2311EST
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