COLUMBIA, SC — Tennessee football lost 27-24 to South Carolina on Malik Orsan's 48-yard field goal on the final play on Oct. 24, triggering a field-storming and stirring up bad memories of devastating defeats at Williams-Brice Stadium.
The 11th-ranked Vols (6-2, 3-2 SEC) rallied from a 14-0 deficit to take a 21-17 halftime lead over South Carolina (4-3, 2-3). But leading 24-17 late in the fourth quarter, they botched a fourth-and-1 play that could've helped ice the game. Quarterback George MacIntyre was dropped for a 1-yard loss.
South Carolina answered with LaNorris Sellers' 4-yard TD to tie it at 24 with 1:17 remaining.
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 Orsan's game-winning kick.
Notably, UT committed 12 penalties for 90 yards. And it had three touchdowns negated by penalties.
Tennessee has won only twice in its last nine trips here. That included arguably the most devastating loss of Josh Heupel’s coaching tenure in 2022, when Hendon Hooker’s Heisman Trophy campaign and UT’s playoff hopes were dashed. Time will tell if this loss does as much damage.
The door that the Vols pushed open with their win over Alabama a week earlier has now been pulled back, leaving little margin for error to stay in the College Football Playoff picture with four regular-season games remaining.
Tennessee enters an off week to rest and refocus for the stretch run. It will play No. 12 Kentucky on Nov. 7 (time, TV TBA) at Neyland Stadium. Here are four takeaways from the Vols’ loss to South Carolina.
Tennessee football vs. South Carolina takeaways
DeSean Bishop had a fourth straight 100-yard game
DeSean Bishop, a former Karns High standout, posted his fourth straight 100-yard rushing game. He had 120 yards and one touchdown on 32 carries.
UT ran for 184 yards against what was billed as a strong rushing defense. South Carolina previously had not allowed an opponent to rush for more than 135 yards this season.
Penalties waived off three George MacIntyre TD passes
In a peculiar trend, three touchdown passes by MacIntyre were negated by penalties – a 35-yarder to DaSaahn Brame (illegal shift), a 48-yarder to Mike Matthews (ineligible receiver downfield) and an 18-yarder to Braylon Staley (holding).
MacIntyre, a sophomore and former Brentwood Academy standout, made his third straight start since replacing injured freshman Faizon Brandon in the Auburn game on Oct. 3.
MacIntyre finished 16-of-23 passing for 136 yards. He scrambled for a key first down that set up a touchdown. He completed three straight passes on another TD drive that gave UT its first lead. But his most memorable plays were TD passes that didn’t count and the critical fumble in the final minute.
Tennessee rallied from 14-0 deficit for halftime lead
South Carolina had blown big leads already this season. The Gamecocks led 16-0 over Mississippi State and 17-0 over Kentucky, and they lost both games. So the Vols knew they could rally. They came back from a 14-0 deficit with 21 points in the second quarter.
UT marched 75 yards in 18 plays and 9:05 of game clock. It marked their most plays in a drive in the Heupel era, which began in 2021. Bishop capped the drive with a 1-yard TD run.
The Vols quickly got the ball back on TJ Metcalf’s interception. They converted the turnover into DaSaahn Brame’s 1-yard TD dive on fourth-and-goal to tie the game at 14. They completed the comeback on Mike Matthews’ 8-yard TD run out of a Wildcat package to go ahead 21-17 at halftime.
Vols had a terrible start to fall into hole
Defensive breakdowns and penalties soured Tennessee’s start, putting it into a quick 14-0 deficit.
South Carolina marched 75 yards for an opening TD drive. And it followed with a two-play, 58-yard strike for another TD. LaNorris Sellers completed 7 of 8 quick-hitting passes for 84 yards on those two drives, including a TD toss. And he scrambled for a 31-yard TD run.
Meanwhile, the Vols committed five penalties for 35 yards in the first quarter. They had a 35-yard TD pass from MacIntyre to Brame negated by an illegal shift penalty on Staley. Fortunately, UT later scored a TD on that same drive to start its second-quarter comeback.
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: 4 Tennessee takeaways from crushing loss to South Carolina on field goal
