South Carolina didn’t wait around after beating Tennessee. The Gamecocks had a trolling post lined up and sent it out within ten minutes of the final buzzer on Saturday night, turning Josh Heupel’s own words back on him after a walk-off win in Columbia.
The post mocked Heupel’s comments from Monday, when he was asked whether he had shown his team a video of Tennessee’s 2022 game against South Carolina. His answer was simple: “I did this morning,” Heupel said on Monday.
He followed that up by saying: “Understand the type of environment you’re getting into. Understand the approach of your opponent.
You’re stepping into a ring, you better understand your opponent. Be prepared to be your physical, mental and emotional at your peak.”
South Carolina then made the joke land with a final-reference video featuring Heupel.
On the field, Tennessee saw a game slip away in brutal fashion. The Vols lost 27-24 after South Carolina turned a 14-0 deficit early in the fourth quarter into a comeback victory.
Tennessee had absorbed the Gamecocks’ push and answered with a 24-3 run that put the Vols in position to finish it off. But the closing minutes unraveled.
South Carolina tied the game at 24 with 1:17 remaining, then took advantage of a Tennessee fumble and finished the job with a game-winning field goal as time expired.
It was the kind of finish that leaves one team celebrating and the other staring at the screen, wondering how it all got away.
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Tennessee Just Lost Another Key Piece Up Front
Tennessees offensive line had been trending in the right direction before Donovan Haslam went down in the first half against South Carolina, giving the unit a little more stability after recent games with fewer sacks allowed. Haslam had settled in at right guard, and his presence helped the Volunteers keep building around an up-front group that had started to look more settled.
His upper-body injury forced another in-game shuffle, with Shamurad Umarov stepping in as Tennessee had to adjust on the fly. For a line that had finally found some traction, losing a key interior piece in the middle of a game is the kind of setback that can quickly change the feel of the entire offense. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee Fans Will Not Like One Detail About This South Carolina Game
Tennessee heads into its trip to South Carolina with a little extra baggage from the recent history between these teams. The Volunteers have not forgotten the 2022 loss in Columbia, and the setup for this one already has a familiar edge to it, with kickoff set for 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN and the matchup carrying more weight than a standard SEC date on the calendar.
The line has only added to the frustration for Tennessee fans, since South Carolina is favored by 2.5 points despite the Vols being ranked higher. There is also a layer of unease attached to the officiating after referee David Smith, a former Alabama quarterback, was on the crew for that 2022 game in Columbia, which makes this weekends meeting feel like more than just another road test. [Read more 🡒]
Mike Matthews Gave Tennessee The Jolt It Desperately Needed
A change of pace from the usual script gave Tennessee exactly the spark it needed in the first half against South Carolina. Mike Matthews, already an important part of the passing game as a junior wide receiver, took a Wildcat snap and turned it into a rushing touchdown, helping the Volunteers grab their first lead of the afternoon by halftime.
Matthews had already shown this season that he can finish drives as a receiver, with three touchdown catches to his name, but this one added a different layer to his value. For a Tennessee offense that needed a jolt, the play was a reminder that Matthews can impact the game in more than one way, and that kind of versatility can matter as the Vols try to steady themselves in a tight spot. [Read more 🡒]