Tennessee had the game right where it wanted it, then the fourth-and-1 at the South Carolina 38 changed everything.
With 3:38 left in the fourth quarter on Saturday, the Volunteers faced a decision that could have put the game away. A kick would have meant roughly a 55-yard try for Cooper Ranvier, whose career long is 51 and who is 2-6 from 50-plus. Instead, Josh Heupel stayed aggressive and sent the offense back out there even though DeSean Bishop, the star running back, was out with a sudden injury.
What followed was a mess.
George MacIntyre did not give the ball to DaSaahn Brame as the play appeared to call for, and Javin Gordon never seemed ready for the ball either. The exact intent wasn’t clear, but the result was: Tennessee lost two yards and turned it over on downs. That opened the door for South Carolina to force the tie and eventually win the game.
Afterward, Heupel pointed to the execution on the snap.
“Yeah, just missteps by George on that one,” Heupel said after the game of the play.
MacIntyre, making just his third career start, said the breakdown came down to communication on a look Tennessee had used repeatedly and successfully throughout the day.
”Yeah, just simple miscommunication - a formation we’ve been running all game,” MacIntyre said after the loss. “Just got to be more locked into the details of the different plays and that big jumbo formation.
“There’s a lot of moving parts of the play with kills and checks and what fronts they’re going to run. But, yeah, it would have been similar to DaSaahn’s touchdown in the first half.”
The rest unraveled quickly. LaNorris Sellers answered with a quick score to tie it at 24-24, and MacIntyre then fumbled soon after, handing South Carolina the ball again and setting up the winning field goal chance.
Even with the penalties and the early holes Tennessee dug for itself, the ending was hard to miss: the Volunteers had controlled the game for long stretches after South Carolina’s 14-0 opening burst, only to let it slip away in the final minutes.
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Tennessee Benefits After South Carolinas Costly Postgame Chaos
Tennessee will collect an unexpected off-field benefit from one of the SECs newest enforcement measures after South Carolina was fined $500,000 for fans storming the field at Williams-Brice Stadium following a game-winning field goal against the Volunteers. The penalty marks the third field-storming fine in the conference this season and the first under the leagues flat-rate system, which replaced a more variable approach to these violations.
For Tennessee, the result is less about the dollar amount than the principle behind it. The money will be paid to the visiting team affected by the violation, giving the Volunteers a direct return from a night that ended in chaos for the home crowd. It is another reminder that the SEC is trying to make field-storming more expensive, even as the practice continues to create problems after close games. [Read more 🡒]
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Now the bye week gives Tennessee a chance to reset before the Kentucky matchup, and that is where the Vols will lean on what has traveled best for them all year. If the defense keeps collapsing pockets and the run game keeps producing steady yards, Tennessee has a clear path to making the rivalry game uncomfortable for the Wildcats, even after the setback in Columbia. [Read more 🡒]
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Martenson has been building a full picture of his options with visits to other schools, but Tennessee appears to be firmly in the mix as his process develops. He is expected to make an official visit to Knoxville, and his top schools list should come together in the spring, giving the Vols a real chance to keep climbing with one of the cycles more promising linemen. [Read more 🡒]