Tennessee walked out of Columbia with a loss that stings for one simple reason: the Vols had done the hard part, then let it get away.
After falling behind by 14 points, Tennessee fought its way back, leaned on the run game and even took the lead late in the first half. But when the fourth quarter tightened, the mistakes piled up. South Carolina survived it all and left Williams-Brice Stadium with a 27-24 win on Malik Orsan’s 48-yard field goal as time expired Saturday.
The defeat dropped Tennessee to 6-2 overall and 3-2 in SEC play, a result that leaves the Vols with less room for error as they move into the final stretch. The College Football Playoff is still within reach.
So is the SEC. But the path gets narrower from here.
Tennessee had already answered an early 14-0 hole with a strong surge on the ground. Two rushing touchdowns pulled the Vols even at 14 with 8:06 left in the second quarter, and another rushing score with 24 seconds left before halftime sent Tennessee to the break ahead 21-17. The Vols had 128 rushing yards in the first half, and after that rough opening, the run game had put them in position to leave Columbia with a win.
That position held until the final minutes.
A botched fourth-down play with 3:35 remaining handed the ball back to South Carolina at its own 39-yard line. The Gamecocks then went 61 yards in six plays to tie the game at 24 with 1:17 left.
Tennessee still had a chance to respond, but pressure got to George MacIntyre. He was hit, fumbled with 33 seconds left, and South Carolina recovered at the Tennessee 34 to set up the winning kick.
The loss makes Tennessee’s push for a spot in the SEC championship game tougher. It also raises the stakes for a November schedule that includes Kentucky, Texas A&M, LSU and Vanderbilt.
The encouraging part for Tennessee is that the fight was there. The Vols recovered from a two-touchdown deficit on the road and built a lead in the closing minutes.
But the penalties, the late breakdowns and the missed chances proved costly. Tennessee finished with 12 penalties, and those kinds of self-inflicted wounds turned a winnable road game into a damaging one.
Now the bye week has to be about getting things cleaned up. The opportunity is still there, but the margin is thin, and Saturday made that clear.
In Other News...
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 🡒]