Tennessee walked into Columbia with control of the game, then watched it slip away in one messy collapse after another.
The Vols led 24-17 late in the fourth quarter and looked on their way to a road win over South Carolina. Instead, George MacIntyre’s fumble with under a minute left cracked the door open, and the Gamecocks stormed through it for a stunning 27-24 finish.
But the final turnover only sealed what Tennessee had already been doing to itself all night.
The Vols were hit with 12 penalties in the loss, and three touchdowns came off the board because of those mistakes. That was the real story of the night.
MacIntyre’s fumble will get remembered because it happened last, but this one was not on him alone. He made throws that should have changed the game, only to see them wiped away by flags.
One of them was a dime to Mike Matthews for a huge touchdown that vanished because of an ineligible man downfield call. Another was a touchdown to Braylon Staley that was erased by a hold on David Sanders Jr. On the road, with that many penalties and that many self-inflicted wounds, Tennessee never gave itself a clean chance to finish.
The ESPN broadcast said a win would have given the Vols a 60 percent chance to reach the College Football Playoff. After this loss, that number has dropped to 23 percent.
That’s a brutal swing for a team that entered Week 8 at 6-1 and had started to look like a real Playoff contender. Heading into the season, plenty of people didn’t think Tennessee would even be in this conversation. Now the defeat in Columbia leaves a serious dent in those hopes.
South Carolina came out of a bye with confidence after upsetting Florida, and Shane Beamer coached like a man willing to take chances against the No. 11 team in the country. LaNorris Sellers turned in a strong performance too, and the Gamecocks had every bit of the swagger they needed to finish the job.
For Tennessee, though, this was the kind of loss that lingers. Josh Heupel had to watch his team let a game slip away that looked won, then see South Carolina fans rush the field while his players headed for the locker room stunned and dejected. It was ugly, costly and entirely avoidable.
If this one feels infuriating, it should.
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 🡒]