The Tennessee Volunteers suffered a heartbreaking 27-24 loss to the South Carolina Gamecocks on Saturday, falling to 6-2 on the season. The Vols overcame an early 14-point deficit and held a 7-point lead in the fourth quarter before allowing South Carolina to mount a late comeback.
The Volunteers showed flashes of what makes them such a dangerous adversary, including another impressive performance on the ground from DeSean Bishop, but costly penalties and late-game mistakes proved to be too much for the Vols to overcome. Here's a look at the good, the bad, and the ugly from Tennessee's loss to South Carolina.
The Good
Although ending in a loss, Tennessee showed promise in many aspects of the game, including the ability to fight back from an early deficit. The Volunteers trailed the Gamecocks 14-0 entering the second quarter after allowing South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers to score on his first two drives of the game.
The Vols bounced back by scoring a touchdown on their next three possessions and holding the Gamecocks to just a field goal for the remainder of the first half, entering halftime up 21-17. Tennessee's ability to overcome such a difficult start demonstrated impressive resilience that will hopefully carry over as they look to finish the season strong.
The Volunteers also flexed their muscles on the ground once again on the back of another 100-yard rushing performance by star running back DeSean Bishop. Tennessee finished with 184 yards and three touchdowns on the ground as a team, seeing three different players get into the end zone.
Mike Matthews, DaSaahn Brame, and Bishop all three recorded a rushing touchdown for the Vols, but the Heisman hopeful running back carried most of the load. He finished the game with 32 carries for 120 yards and a touchdown, marking his fifth game this season with 120 or more yards on the ground.
The Bad
One of the Volunteers' biggest issues was their inability to execute consistently without making costly mistakes. Tennessee was called for 12 penalties that accounted for 90 yards in their game against South Carolina, including three that would have resulted in touchdowns without the infractions.
Two of the Vols' most costly penalties came in the second half on an ineligible player downfield call and a holding call. The first of these two calls came in the 3rd quarter with 5:56 remaining and Tennessee up 21-17, when George MacIntyre found Matthews for a 48-yard touchdown, before it was called back due to an ineligible player downfield call, with the drive resulting in a punt.
The second of the Volunteers' two touchdowns called back in the second half came with 12:29 remaining in the fourth quarter and Tennessee up 21-17 when MacIntyre found Braylon Staley for an 18-yard touchdown that was called back due to a David Sanders holding call. The call ultimately resulted in the drive fizzling out and the Volunteers settling for a field goal to take a 7-point lead.
Although the Vols managed to score 24 points, their mistakes and inability to capitalize on several opportunities left the door open for the Gamecocks to make a late-game comeback.
The Ugly
The most frustrating part of Tennessee's loss was how the game ended. The Volunteers held a 24-17 lead in the 4th quarter and seemed to be in a great position to secure another important SEC victory.
Although it seemed like the Vols would escape Columbia with the win, they failed to convert a fourth-and-one opportunity late in the game, giving South Carolina possession with a chance to tie the score. The Gamecocks capitalized on the Volunteers' failed opportunity with LaNorris Sellers scoring a late rushing touchdown to tie the game at 24-24.
Tennessee had an opportunity to respond following the South Carolina touchdown and seemed to be taking advantage of it, advancing the ball to their own 38-yard line in just three plays. On the Volunteers' 4th play of the drive, MacIntyre dropped back to pass and was sacked by Dylan Stewart, fumbling the ball and giving the Gamecocks the ball back at Tennessee's 34-yard line, with 33 seconds remaining.
Head coach Josh Heupel challenged the call on the field of a fumble, resulting in the Vols losing their last timeout remaining. South Carolina then ran the clock down to three seconds following a Sellers rush to the Tennessee 30-yard line, setting up Gamecocks' kicker Malik Orsan to hit the game-winning field goal as time expired.
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