South Carolina vs. Tennessee

The defense didn’t always look sharp against the uneven South Carolina offense, but Joshua Dobbs had a decent game throwing the ball (20-of-34 for 255 yards, two touchdowns and an interception) and the Tennessee running game was just good enough to keep the game going. “He could have done a few better things early on in the football game, but I don’t fault the guy”.

Primarily, because Tennessee won on the kind of unlikely and heartbreaking play that has killed the Volunteers all year. “I give South Carolina a lot of credit”. It turned into the same type of game one would expect from Tennessee-South Carolina.

Photo by Robin Rudd /Times Free Press. The receiver finished with 121 yards – the most by a Vol since Justin Hunter (141 yards) and Mychal Rivera (129) against Missouri in 2012 – on eight catches with one touchdown. The guy just came up behind him and punched it out. It is beneficial that Tennessee was able to squeak out a win in a close game. Dobbs fumbled on the first play of the third possession, and though the Gamecocks missed a field goal on the ensuing series, it set the tone that the Vols would struggle to put the game away.

Tennessee’s LaTroy Lewis (4) deflects a South Carolina pass. The South Carolina Gamecocks visited the Tennessee Volunteers in SEC football action November 7, 2015. Then, misfortune struck South Carolina. South Carolina tight end Jerell Adams was headed toward the end zone and inside the Tennessee 20-yard line, setting up what could have been either a game-tying field goal or a game-winning touchdown for the Gamecocks with less than a minute left.

After making the catch, Adams fought for – and gained – about 10 extra yards before the football was knocked out of his hands and recovered by Tennessee at the Vols’ 13 with 36 seconds remaining.

The Vols’ 23-21 victory over No. 11 South Carolina in 2013 marks one of only two wins Tennessee has over a ranked team since Jones’ arrival. Meanwhile the Vols surged and got up double digits. Questions are easier to find answers to. Tennessee won in overtime last season and on a field goal as time expired in 2013. On paper, it was seemingly a total mismatch. He completed nine of 12 passes for 142 yards, and those completions went for seven first downs and a touchdown to Alvin Kamara on a screen pass. Many came in the second half. The score was 17-3 Vols going into the halftime break.

NOT A SUBSCRIBER? Get 30 FREE days with promo code Gamecocks30KNOXVILLE, TENN. Tennessee fnished with 55 in the final three quarters in a disappointing effort. “Everyone’s looking to make big plays”. South Carolina Gamecocks recorded 186.1 passing yards and 178.8 rushing yards while allowed 215.3 passing yards and 215.3 russhing yards with turnover differential of -0.1.

South Carolina benefited from facing a Tennessee secondary that played most of the game without safety Brian Randolph, who was ejected due to a targeting penalty in the first quarter. Spurrier abruptly retired last month after South Carolina’s 2-4 start.