Tennessee had the game in hand, then watched it slip away in Columbia.
South Carolina erased a 24-17 deficit in the fourth quarter and finished the comeback with a 48-yard field goal as time expired, stunning the Vols 27-24 on Saturday. After Tennessee clawed back from an early two-touchdown hole and grabbed the lead late, the Gamecocks kept coming until the final kick sealed it.
The opening quarter belonged to South Carolina. The Gamecocks took the first possession and struck quickly when LaNorris Sellers hit Mazeo Bennet Jr. for a 17-yard touchdown, with Malik Orsan adding the extra point for a 7-0 lead. Tennessee’s first series went nowhere, ending after three plays with two incompletions from George MacIntyre to Braylon Staley and a 5-yard false start penalty.
South Carolina was even sharper on its next scoring drive. Sellers connected with DJ Black on a 27-yard pass from the South Carolina 42, then tucked and ran 31 yards through the middle for another touchdown. Orsan’s kick made it 14-0 with 8:17 left in the first quarter, and the Vols were left to regroup after being blanked in the opening period.
That response came early in the second quarter. Tennessee put together an 18-play march that ended with DeSean Bishop’s 1-yard touchdown run 48 seconds into the period. Ranvier’s extra point cut the margin to 14-7.
The Vols then got a break on defense. Xavier Gilliam pressured Sellers into a rushed throw, and Tennessee defensive back TJ Metcalf intercepted it at South Carolina’s 28-yard line.
Tennessee capitalized with a run-heavy drive, capped by DaSaahn Brame’s 1-yard touchdown run on the ninth rushing attempt. Ranvier’s kick tied it 14-14.
South Carolina answered with a field goal before halftime, but not without a few tense moments. After the Gamecocks started at their 11, Sellers fumbled and recovered the ball, then missed on two passes.
The drive continued with short gains, including a 28-yard completion to Maurice Brown II, before the teams traded timeouts late in the half with the ball near Tennessee’s 10-yard line. Sellers’ end-zone throws to Donovan Murph and then DJ Black both fell incomplete, forcing South Carolina to settle for a 22-yard field goal from Orsam.
That made it 17-14 with 1:44 left in the half.
Tennessee quickly flipped the script before the break. After a touchback, MacIntyre found Mike Matthews for 4 yards, and the drive got a major lift when South Carolina’s Vicari Swain was flagged for targeting and ejected.
The Vols moved efficiently after that, reached the 8-yard line with 29 seconds left, and Matthews finished the possession with a rush to the right for a touchdown. Ranvier’s extra point sent Tennessee into halftime with a 21-17 lead.
The third quarter turned into a slog. Both teams traded punts, and three of the four possessions ended in negative yardage as defense took over. No one scored, and the game headed to the fourth still up for grabs.
Tennessee extended the lead first in the final period. Starting inside South Carolina territory, MacIntyre hit Staley on a 27-yard gain, then found him again in the end zone, but a holding penalty on David Sanders Jr. wiped out the touchdown. Ranvier still pushed the lead to 24-17 with a 37-yard field goal at 11:46.
That was the last good moment for Tennessee.
South Carolina’s defense forced the Vols into a punt after Sellers was sacked twice in a row, first by Jordan Norman and Tyree Weathersby, then by Moss. Tennessee then tried to bleed more clock after starting from its own 2-yard line, moving into South Carolina territory on a 10-yard pass to Matthews, a 5-yard pass to Radarious Jackson aided by a 10-yard holding penalty against USC, and a 16-yard run by Bishop. But the drive stalled, and the Vols turned it over on downs at South Carolina’s 39.
From there, Sellers took over. He ripped off a 22-yard run to Tennessee’s 10 with two minutes left, then Matt Fuller added 6 yards on the ground.
Sellers finished the drive by breaking through multiple tackles over the final 4 yards for the tying touchdown. Orsan’s extra point made it 24-24 with 1:17 remaining.
Tennessee had one last chance, but it ended in disaster. South Carolina’s Dylan Stewart sacked MacIntyre and forced a fumble, and Tomiwa Durojaiye recovered it. The Gamecocks then bled the clock down to three seconds and sent out the field goal team.
The 48-yard attempt sailed through as time expired, and the crowd flooded the field immediately after. South Carolina finished off the 27-24 win and handed Tennessee its second loss of the season.
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South Carolina then added another jab of its own, posting a social media video that mocked Heupels comments shortly after the final whistle. For Tennessee supporters already simmering over the collapse, it was the kind of extra needle that tends to linger after a close SEC loss, especially one decided with so little time left on the clock. [Read more 🡒]