South Carolina won in Knoxville for the second time in their last 4 trips by beating Tennessee 14-3
Breaking it Down…1st Quarter…South Carolina won the toss and deferred to the second half. The defense forced a quick 3 and out, but Ace Sanders muffed the punt and Tennessee recovered on the Gamecock 18 yard line. The Vols made one first down before stalling at the 4. They converted the field goal for a 3-0 lead. South Carolina made a first down on their next drive before punting. Tennessee did the same. USC then went three and out giving the Vols the ball at the Gamecock 41. Tennessee made a first down and then couldn’t convert their 47 yard field goal attempt.
Read more after the break.
2nd Quarter…South Carolina’s offense still couldn’t get moving, but the defense was playing well, and they forced a three and out. After a bad punt, USC took over at the Volunteer 44 yard line. Damiere Byrd gained 12 on an end around. On fourth and one from the Tennessee 23 yard line, Connor Shaw rolled out and found Rory Anderson for the touchdown and a 7-3 lead. On the next drive Tennessee picked up a first down and faced 4th and one from the USC 44. They decided to try to sneak it, but Worley was stuffed. The Gamecocks couldn’t take advantage of the good field position and had to punt. Tennessee gained two quick first downs, but they also had to punt. The Gamecocks made some yards and reached midfield but ran out of time.
3rd Quarter…Derek Dooley tried to gain an advantage to start the second half by attempting an on side kick. The kick sailed harmlessly out of bounds, and South Carolina took over with great field position. They couldn’t move the ball and a tipped pass was intercepted. Tennessee returned the interception to the two yard line. After an ineffective run, the Vols tried to pass but D.J. Swearinger intercepted it at the two. USC then began a game defining drive. The ensuing drive would cover 98 yards and take 20 plays. During the 11 minute and 35 second possession the offense converted 6 of 6 third downs. The last one was converted by Connor Shaw when he ran the ball in from 5 yards out. The score pushed the lead to 14-3 and demoralized the Volunteer players and fans.
4th Quarter…Tennessee’s offense couldn’t get going, and they punted. South Carolina tried to replicate their last drive, but Brandon Wilds fumbled, and Tennessee recovered deep in Gamecock territory. The Vols went to the air, and Stephon Gilmore plucked the ball from the sky in the end zone for the touchback. The offense went three and out, and Tennessee switched quarterbacks. With time running low the Vols had to pass, and they had some success. After several first downs they were inside the South Carolina 30 but missed on fourth down. The Gamecocks were able to replicate their third quarter success and ran out the final 6:33.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F | |
| South Carolina | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
| Tennessee | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Stars of the Game…Brandon Wilds…28 rushes, 137 yards, 3 receptions, 31 yards…Devonte Holloman… 8 tackles, one for loss…D.J. Swearinger…6 tackles, 1 INT…Stephon Gilmore…INT, 2 tackles, pass broken up…
What to Take Away From the Game…Some people will call this an ugly win, and at times the offense looked ugly, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. The Gamecocks defense played a superb game and is in the process of making a case for being one of the greatest in USC history. The offense had a conservative game plan, and it paid off.
Brandon Wilds had a tremendous game, and it looks like there is life after Marcus Lattimore. The Gamecocks have won the first two games of their road trip and are still in the driver’s seat for the SEC East. Arkansas will be a difficult test, and the Gamecocks will have to play well to have a chance to win, but if the passing game can come around, they’ll have a chance.
This and that…South Carolina improves to 7-1 (5-1) on the season…The Gamecocks didn’t score first for the 11th straight game…The Gamecocks won their 6th straight road game and 5th straight SEC road game…The third quarter drive was the longest in Gamecock history by time consumed (11:35)….It was the third longest in terms of yardage (98)…Connor Shaw is now 4-0 as a starting quarterback…The Gamecocks had twice as many first downs as Tennessee (20-10)…USC converted 10 of 18 3rd downs while only allowing UT to convert 2 of 14…USC’s total yards: 318; Tennessee’s: 186…UT only had 35 rushing yards on 21 attempts, an average of 1.7 yards per attempt…
Up next…South Carolina completes their road trip with a visit to Arkansas. The game will be televised at 7:15 on ESPN
