Tennessee walked out of Columbia with a 27-24 loss to South Carolina, and the film only made the frustration worse. The Vols are now 6-2, their CFP hopes sliding into dangerous territory, and the bye week won’t do much to cool down the anger after a game they kept giving away.
The biggest problem was the lack of discipline. Tennessee piled up 12 penalties for 90 yards, and several of those mistakes came at moments that absolutely mattered.
One of the most painful was the wiped-out 45-yard touchdown pass from George MacIntyre to Mike Matthews, erased because a wideout wasn’t lined up correctly. That kind of mistake doesn’t belong in a close road game, and it cost Tennessee points it could not afford to lose.
DeSean Bishop also ended up right in the middle of a brutal stretch, though none of the blame falls on him. He delivered 120 yards and a touchdown, and by every measure he was one of Tennessee’s best performers.
But a hard hit late in the fourth quarter sent him to the sideline, and he never returned. That mattered because it came just before the botched fourth-down sequence that handed South Carolina the ball back, leading to a LaNorris Sellers score not long after.
Had Bishop stayed available, it’s hard not to think he would have gotten the ball in that spot and picked up the first down.
George MacIntyre’s late-game mistakes also loomed large. The freshman was solid for most of the night, but the fourth quarter was a different story.
On the failed fourth-down snap coming out of a timeout, he forgot he was supposed to hand the ball off to DaSaahn Brame, who was lined up at fullback. The play had worked earlier in the game when Brame punched in a one-yard touchdown, which made the miscue even more costly.
Then, with less than a minute left, MacIntyre fumbled after Dylan Stewart got to him, opening the door for South Carolina to win it in walk-off fashion.
And then there’s Josh Heupel, who is once again taking heat for whether he’s the man to get Tennessee where it wants to go. Coming off the upset over Alabama, this had all the makings of a trap game, and Tennessee looked like a team that wasn’t fully locked in.
The mental errors were impossible to ignore, and the responsibility for getting a team ready falls on Heupel. After the win over the Crimson Tide, the optimism was loud.
After this loss, plenty of that noise has gone quiet, and Heupel has work to do if he wants people believing in him again.
In Other News...
Lady Vols Showed Off A Depth Tennessee Fans Will Notice Fast
The only exhibition game on Tennessees schedule offered an early look at how many different ways this Lady Vols roster can beat you, and Florida A&M had no answer for it. Tennessee rolled to a 132-63 win while forcing 37 turnovers and turning those takeaways into 45 points, the kind of pressure-to-points formula that can make a deep team even harder to handle once the games start to count.
Eight players finished in double figures, a sign that the scoring load could be spread around in a way Tennessee fans are likely to appreciate fast. White filled the box score with 16 points, seven assists, six rebounds and four steals, Minus added 12 points and seven rebounds, Smikle led the way with 19 points, and Janneh controlled the glass with 13 rebounds, giving the Lady Vols a glimpse of the balance they can lean on this season. [Read more 🡒]
DeSean Bishop Update Matters For Tennessees Stretch Run
DeSean Bishops day at South Carolina ended early, but Tennessee got a reassuring sign afterward. Josh Heupel said the running back is expected to be in good condition for the upcoming week, which matters as the Volunteers head into the stretch run with Bishop playing a bigger and bigger role in the offense.
Bishop has been pushing toward 1,000 rushing yards this season, and his presence gives Tennessee another reliable option as the games get tighter. With one year of eligibility still left after this season, keeping him available now and down the stretch looms as an important piece of the bigger picture for the Volunteers. [Read more 🡒]
Vols Suddenly Have A Real Shot At Key 2027 DB Target
Preston Glascos recruitment is moving into the home stretch, and Tennessee has positioned itself squarely in the mix for one of the more intriguing 2027 defensive backs in the region. The Grayson High School cornerback from Georgia is expected to make his college choice soon, and his list has been trimmed to Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee after a process that has already brought multiple scholarship offers and steady attention from major programs.
For the Vols, the encouraging part is that Glasco has remained in regular contact with the coaching staff and came away from a recent visit with Tennessee firmly in the conversation. That kind of late momentum matters in a battle like this, especially when the competition includes two heavyweight SEC neighbors, and it leaves Tennessee with a real opening as his decision approaches. [Read more 🡒]