Tennessee gets a much-needed pause on Halloween, but the break won’t last long.
After the Vols’ emphatic home win over then-No. 6 Alabama, they turned around and suffered a stunning loss at South Carolina, where the Gamecocks scored 10 points in the final 1:17 to steal the upset. That roller-coaster stretch has left Tennessee with plenty to sort through before the season’s next big challenge.
The Vols return next week for a home matchup with surprise SEC leader Kentucky, which is ranked No. 9 and has lost only once this season - to Alabama in Week 2. The Wildcats will arrive in Neyland with momentum, and Tennessee will have to use its bye week to reset before that showdown.
After Kentucky, the Vols still have trips to Texas A&M and Vanderbilt, plus a home game against LSU remaining on the schedule.
Tennessee’s next game is set for Saturday, Nov. 7 against Kentucky at 6:15 p.m. ET. The game will air on ESPN and can also be streamed on Fubo.
Here’s the rest of Tennessee’s regular-season slate:
- Sat., Nov. 14 at Texas A&M - TBD
- Sat., Nov. 21 vs.
LSU - TBD
- Sat., Nov. 28 at Vanderbilt - TBD
For fans watching the broader college football picture this weekend, Week 9 brings a full Saturday slate, including No. 5 Notre Dame vs.
Navy at noon on ABC, No. 3 Georgia vs.
No. 17 Florida at 3:30 p.m. on ABC, and No.
1 Miami vs. North Carolina at 7:30 p.m. on ABC.
Tennessee, though, won’t be part of the action until next weekend.
In Other News...
South Carolina Suddenly Has A Huge Backfield Problem After Oklahoma
South Carolinas backfield took a major hit against Oklahoma when Matt Fuller went down in the first quarter with an ankle injury, a sequence that ended with a broken bone in his foot and a likely season-ending surgery. Fuller had been one of the Gamecocks most productive runners, piling up 513 rushing yards and five touchdowns before the injury, and his absence immediately changed the feel of the offense.
Jabree Coleman, Christian Clark and Isaiah Augustave were the backs asked to absorb the workload after Fuller exited, and the staff now has to sort out how to replace both production and reliability moving forward. For a team trying to keep its ground game steady, losing a back who had become such a central piece of the rotation creates a problem that is hard to patch quickly. [Read more 🡒]
Shane Beamer Was Still Angry During South Carolinas Rout Of Oklahoma
South Carolina had already put together one of its sharpest offensive halves of the season against Oklahoma, piling up 322 yards and taking a 28-10 lead into the break, but Shane Beamer still found plenty to correct. Even with the Gamecocks controlling the game midway through the third quarter, the head coach was dissatisfied at halftime, pointing to the 10 points his team had handed away through mistakes while still acknowledging how well the offense handled Oklahomas defense.
Beamers reaction fit the tone of a coach who wants more than a comfortable margin, especially in a game that had already tilted so heavily in South Carolinas favor. The scoring cushion was there, the production was there, and the matchup was unfolding the way the Gamecocks wanted, but the frustration served as a reminder that Beamer was looking at the bigger picture rather than just the scoreboard. [Read more 🡒]
South Carolinas Late-Season Surge Just Got Hard To Ignore
South Carolinas late-season push picked up another jolt in Norman, where the Gamecocks handled Oklahoma 42-25 behind a big day from LaNorris Sellers. The quarterback threw for 301 yards and three touchdowns while adding two more scores on the ground, giving South Carolina the kind of balanced punch that can travel well this time of year even after a pair of interceptions and the early loss of top running back Matt Fuller.
What made the result stand out was how the Gamecocks absorbed the mistakes and still kept control. Oklahoma won the turnover battle, but South Carolinas defense made the Sooners work for everything and the offense kept finding answers, leaving the home team unable to climb back into the game. For a program trying to build momentum down the stretch, this was the sort of road win that gets noticed. [Read more 🡒]