COLUMBIA, SC — Tennessee quarterback George MacIntyre made two costly mistakes that led to the 11th-ranked Vols' 27-24 loss to South Carolina on Oct. 24.
MacIntyre was dropped for a 1-yard loss on a fourth-and-1 play that could've iced the game for Tennessee (6-2, 3-2 SEC). And he lost a fumble in the final minute, which South Carolina (4-3, 2-3) recovered and led to the game-winning field goal.
Three MacIntyre touchdown passes were also negated by penalties.
MacIntyre, a former Brentwood Academy standout, made in his third straight start since replacing freshman Faizon Brandon, who was available after recovering from a right shoulder injury but did not play in the game.
Tennessee enters an off week. It will play No. 12 Kentucky on Nov. 7 (time
TBD) at Neyland Stadium. Here’s a quick rundown of MacIntyre’s performance against South Carolina.
George MacIntyre stats
MacIntyre was 16-of-23 passing for 136 yards against South Carolina.
This was MacIntyre’s seventh appearance of the season and his third start. Against Furman, he completed 5 of 7 passes for 56 yards, one TD and no interceptions. Against Texas, he completed 1 of 3 passes for 6 yards. He didn’t attempt a pass against Kennesaw State. Against Auburn, he completed 8 of 10 passes for 86 yards.
In his first start against Arkansas, MacIntyre was 18-of-29 passing for 247 yards, one TD and two interceptions. In his second start, he was 21-of-31 passing for 197 yards and one interception.
George MacIntyre’s best: TD pass that didn’t count
MacIntyre kept an eventual TD drive alive with his nifty footwork. After UT got the ball on TJ Metcalf’s interception, it stalled on the South Carolina 25-yard line. MacIntyre was nearly sacked on a third-and-7 play. But he shook off a tackler, escaped a crowded pocket, scrambled for 12 yards and dove headfirst for a first down. UT scored a TD seven plays later to tie the game at 14.
Then MacIntyre ran the two-minute offense efficiently just before halftime, completing three straight passes for 29 yards, which led to a TD and 21-17 lead.
But his best pass of the season was a 48-yard TD toss to Mike Matthews in the third quarter that was negated by a penalty for ineligible receiver downfield.
George MacIntyre’s worst: Late-game errors, potential TD toss
There appeared to be a miscommunication when MacIntyre was dropped for a 1-yard loss late in the fourth quarter.
And then while trying to set up a game-winning field goal, MacIntyre was sacked by Dylan Stewart and fumbled. Tomiwa Durojaiye recovered for South Carolina at UT's 34-yard line with 33 seconds remaining. That set up Malik Orsan's 48-yard game-winning field goal.
Early in the game, MacIntyre mistimed what would’ve been a TD pass. On first-and-goal from the 10, MacIntyre rolled to his left and saw Mike Matthews breaking open in the flat. But MacIntyre hesitated, forcing Matthews to stop his route near the sideline. It threw off the timing of the play, and MacIntyre’s pass was ultimately off target.
Grade: D
Initially, there was a big asterisk on MacIntyre’s performance because he had three touchdown passes waived off by penalties – a 35-yarder to DaSaahn Brame, a 48-yarder to Matthews and a 18-yarder to Braylon Staley. MacIntyre also missed on a potential TD pass, so there were missed opportunities to go around, but those penalties greatly skewed his stats.
But the lasting images of MacIntyre will be him lying on the field after the 1-yard loss on fourth down and the ball popping loose on his fumble. If either play was executed correctly, Tennessee wins the game.
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Grading QB George MacIntyre in Tennessee football loss to South Carolina
