South Carolina defeated by Tenn., live recap
4th quarter
Tennessee defeats Gamecocks, 41-17.
The Gamecocks tried going for it on fourth down but were unsuccessful. South Carolina’s offense struggled throughout the contest mostly due to the pressure of the Volunteers’ box.
Volunteers lead, 41-17.
Sampson continued to dominate for the Volunteers scoring another touchdown on the ground, giving Tennessee a 20-point lead.
Running backs of the Volunteers continued to attack the South Carolina defense tiring them out while taking time off of the board.
The Volunteers were looking for a dagger, gaining yards through a combination of rushing and passing but leaning more toward the ground game.
A field goal by Jeter gave South Carolina hope, however, the Gamecocks were still down by two touchdowns with time winding down.
A connection from Rattler to Knox on fourth and short continued the drive for the Gamecocks in the fourth quarter, the big game game was followed up with another sack on Rattler.
With five sacks on Rattler on the night, the inexperience of the offensive line was a true sore point of the Gamecocks.
The constant pressure of the Volunteers continued to disrupt the Gamecocks with South Carolina failing to find true consistency.
The Volunteers attempted another successful kick, with the new score being 34-17.
Tennessee started off the last quarter of the game trying to push the pace with the Volunteers struggling to have proper clock management.
3rd quarter
South Carolina failed to take advantage of the interception and punted the ball back to the Volunteers which turned into a 46-yard touchdown for Tennessee but the score was called back due to an illegal block call.
A failed throw by Rattler was under review to see if the quarterback was in the out-of-bounds area of the end zone before he got the ball off.
Another interception by Gilgore gave South Carolina the ball back with a little under three minutes left to go in the third quarter. Dakereon Joyner almost got tackled in the end zone for a safety but he narrowly avoided it.
It seems as if the early game injury to McCoy had changed the offensive plans of the Volunteers, with the team’s playing being rather conservative but Tennessee found big gains on the ground.
On another third down, South Carolina failed to convert and when they went for it on fourth-and-one the Gamecocks failed to gain enough yardage for the first down, resulting in a turnover on downs.
During a big third down moment for South Carolina Rattler connected with his favorite target Legette for a big game, which continued to show signs of life for the Gamecocks.
Tennessee leads, 31-17.
After a big touchdown run by South Carolina’s Mario Anderson, new life was breathed into the game, however, it was still a two-score game
Tennessee leads, 31-10.
A touchdown connection pass between Milton and Jacob Warren stretched the Volunteers lead more, giving Tennessee a firm 20-point lead over the Garnet and Black.
Like in every other game this season, the ground game continued to wear out the South Carolina defense, and the contest against Tennessee was not different, the defensive front just could not stop the Volunteers’ offense.
Teneessee’s run game continued to wreak havoc on South Carolina’s defense with Milton gaining a first down on the ground.
The Volunteers have done a great job shutting down the potent South Carolina offense. In order to win, the Gamecocks will need to have better quarterback protection and longer yards gained per play.
2nd quarter
The Gamecocks got the ball back but the same problems continued, the Volunteers continued to have a field day against Spencer Rattler in the backfield racking up the sacks.
Tennessee leads South Carolina, 24-10.
Rattler threw a pick-six extending the Volunteers lead to double-digits just before halftime.
Tennessee racked up three sacks in the first half of the game, creating problems for the Gamecocks.
Another quick three-and-out for the Volunteers’ defense, credit to South Carolina’s defense for keeping the Tennessee offense in check the past two series to give their team a two-minute drill.
Rattler was taken down for a second after secondary pressure broke Rattler’s pocket and him having to throw the football from the Tenn. end zone. The South Carolina offensive line ranks 6th in the SEC in pass protection.
After a three-and-out, South Carolina started their series deep in Tennessee territory.
The action on the field stopped while McCoy was carted off the field.
Bru McCoy continued to give the Gamecock defense a headache, after a catch for around 12 yards, McCoy went down and did not get back up on his own.
Tennesse loading the box seemed like an aspect the Gamecocks were not prepared for with Rattler having a difficult time truly having consistency through the air.
South Carolina struggled to find consistency throughout the first two quarters due to the lack of a solid running game. Also, the struggles from the young Gamecocks offensive line continued to hinder the Palmetto State team.
Tennessee leads South Carolina, 17-10.
The Volunteers settled for a successful field goal attempt extending their lead by 3 more points.
A big run from Sampson had the Volunteers once again knocking on the touchdown’s door.
On fourth down in Tennessee territory, the GAmecocks went for the first down but did not get to the first down marker after a pass from Spencer to Legette.
After the fake punt caught them by surprise, the Volunteers tightened up on defense, making South Carolina’s rushing game non-existent.
Rattlers’ poise in successfully escaping the pocket came to a drastic with a loss of three, however, a fake punt to Legette kept South Carolina in the game.
The Gamecocks’ offense continued to struggle on the ground, virtually making South Carolina one-dimensional.
1st quarter
Tennesee leads South Carolina, 14-10 at the end of the first quarter.
Milton responded to score with a long bomb followed by a two-yard run by Jabari Small to give Tennesee the lead again.
The pressure of the Tennessee defense collapsing the pocket, Rattler did what he does best and created an opportunity for the Gamecocks and scored with a run. Giving South Carolina their first lead of the game.
The inexperience of the offensive line plagued the Gamecocks at the wrong time with a false start bringing South Carolina back five yards at third-and-goal.
Running back Mario Anderson Jr. broke out a big run to bring South Carolina to a first-and-goal attempt.
With the Gamecocks in scoring distance, Rattler was not shy to try the end zone, however, his attempts were unsuccessful.
Although South Carolina’s defense is young, the defense’s cover 3 option resulted in a Milton interception and giving the Gamecocks the ball back deep in Volunteer territory.
The Volunteers responded with a big gain on the kickoff return, nearly bringing them into South Carolina territory.
South Carolina trails Tennessee, 7-3 midway through the first quarter.
The Gamecocks settled for a field goal and made a response on the scoreboard, South Carolina was still in a deficit after the score.
South Carolina moved the chains into the red zone of the Tennessee Volunteers with the team looking to capitalize, Rattler made a risky pass to Legette that was almost a turnover but it went dead before The Volunteers could gain the live ball that was in the air.
The Gamecocks have been in this position before and looked to rally. However, the constant pressure upfront from the Volunteers’ defense continued to plague South Carolina until a 44-yard pass from Rattler to Ahmarean Brown gave the team momentum.
7-0, Tennessee. It was a nine-play, that spanned 94 yards.
Tennessee running back Jaylen Wright broke out a 42-yard run to put the Volunteers on the scoreboard first.
The Volunteers continued to move up the field with a combination of short throws and small rushing yards, which was looking to tire the Gamecocks.
The Volunteers started early to establish their running game with a couple of quick gains that were followed by a slant catch from Milton to Bru McCoy.
The Gamecocks punted the ball behind Tennessee’s 10-yard line.
After getting a first down, The Gamecocks went three-and-out and punted to Tennessee.
It seemed like the Volunteers’ defense wanted to pressure Rattler into making a mistake, which has been a rare occurrence for him this season.
The Gamecocks started the game on offense, after a little to no gain, quarterback Spencer Rattler was under pressure and escaped the collapsing pocket for an 18-yard gain on the ground.
Game preview
KNOXVILLE, TENN. (WIS) - The University of South Carolina will continue to try and build momentum as the Gamecocks travel to Knoxville to face off against the University of Tennessee Volunteers.
After an exciting 37-30 victory over the Mississippi State Bulldogs last weekend, Spencer Rattler & Co. are searching for a victory against Tennessee, the Gamecocks shocked the college football world last year when South Carolina defeated Tennessee 63- 38.
Under the tutelage of head coach Shane Beamer, South Carolina is .500 through the first four games of the year, winning two and losing two games.
Rattler continues to have a settler year, and hopefully, it will continue against a Volunteer defense that ranks 6th in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) defensive rankings according to Sports Reference.
Breakout star Xavier Legette will continue to be leaned on heavily as he is Rattler’s favorite target and has been producing at a high level all season. The key aspect South Carolina has struggled with that they need to solve quickly in order to have true success is the running game.
The Gamecocks rank last in the SEC for team rushing yards with just 303 yards on the season.
South Carolina vs. Tennessee Game Info
- Date: Saturday, September 30, 2023
- Time: 7:30 PM ET
- Channel: SEC Network
- Live Stream: Watch this game on Fubo
- City: Knoxville, Tennessee
- Venue: Neyland Stadium
Watch college football live, along with tons of other live sports and TV, with a free trial to Fubo and you can view the bettings odds here.
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