Tennessee upset by South Carolina
Tennessee again fell victim to its own mistakes in a stunning 24-21 upset loss against South Carolina on Saturday.
COLUMBIA, SC - OCTOBER 29, 2016 - defensive end Derek Barnett #9 of the Tennessee Volunteers and defensive back Justin Martin #8 of the Tennessee Volunteers during the game between the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Tennessee Volunteers at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, SC. Photo By Hayley Pennesi/Tennessee Athletics
The general consensus thought that Tennessee (5-3, 2-3 SEC) would coast through the back half of its schedule after healing over a bye week.
South Carolina (4-4, 2-4 SEC) had other plans, stunning the Vols 24-21 in Columbia on Saturday.
Tennessee continued its trend of slow starts, immediately falling behind 7-0 after South Carolina’s Rico Dowdle rushed for a score from a yard out. On the Gamecocks’ opening drive, freshman quarterback Jake Bentley converted on a fourth-and-two with a 16-yard run after reversing field. Bentley was solid again after his debut last weekend, completing 15-of-20 passes for 167 yards and a pair of scores.
The same could not be said for Joshua Dobbs.
Dobbs was inconsistent for the second game in a row, completing only 12-of-26 passes for 161 yards, one touchdown and a pair of interceptions.
His first interception came in the first half with the game knotted at 7-7. Three plays later, Bentley found Bryan Edwards for a 17-yard touchdown pass. South Carolina never trailed in the game and led by as many as 10 points on two separate occasions.
After falling behind 17-7, it appeared the Vols snatched all of the momentum out of Williams-Brice Stadium when Evan Berry sprinted past the Gamecock special teams for his fourth career kickoff return touchdown, tying the all-time program record held by Willie Gault.
However, Tennessee again fell victim to a critical mistake, as Dobbs fumbled after freshman running back Carlin Fils-Aime ran into the senior’s arm in the fourth quarter. South Carolina again reaped the benefits when Bentley found K.C. Crosby wide open for a 35-yard touchdown pass.
The Vols managed to crawl back into the game thanks to the play of wide receiver Jauan Jennings. After falling behind 24-14, Jennings caught a 25-yard pass on the ensuing Tennessee drive and later caught a six-yard touchdown to cut the Gamecock lead to three. Jennings finished the game with three receptions for 54 yards and a score. Despite multiple comeback victories on the season, Tennessee couldn’t find another one in Columbia.
The Vols had a late opportunity to send the game into overtime, but Aaron Medley’s 58-yard field goal attempt fell short as time expired.
With the loss, Tennessee falls two games behind Florida in the SEC East race. The Vols host Tennessee Tech next Saturday at 4 p.m. ET for homecoming.
Edited by Nathan Odom
Featured image by Hayley Pennesi, courtesy of Tennessee Athletics
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