That’s two field stormings in two weeks involving Tennessee.
Only this one wasn’t nearly as fun for the Volunteers.
Malik Orsan’s 48-yard field goal as time expired Saturday evening propelled South Carolina to a 27-24 upset of the No. 11 Vols at Williams-Brice Stadium, preventing Tennessee from building on last weekend’s impressive 26-10 win over Alabama in Knoxville. Tennessee was looking to complete only its second undefeated October in the past 20 seasons, but the Vols will instead head into their open date with a 6-2 record and a 3-2 mark in Southeastern Conference play.
“Credit South Carolina for making the plays down the stretch that put them in position to win the football game,” Tennessee sixth-year coach Josh Heupel said in a news conference afterward. “For us, the guys competed hard, but we didn’t play smart enough offensively. Penalties just crushed us, and if you’re on the road and let a good football team hang around, it’s got a chance to bite you.”
The Gamecocks, who were coming off their open date, improved to 4-3 overall and 2-3 within the league.
Orsan’s winning kick was set up by defensive end Dylan Stewart’s strip sack of George MacIntyre at Tennessee’s 34-yard line with 33 seconds to play. A false-start penalty on third down moved the ball back to the 39, but Gamecocks quarterback LaNorris Sellers kept for 9 yards to the 30 to give Orsan a better chance.
Tennessee led 24-17 after Cooper Ranvier’s 37-yard field goal with 10:39 remaining, and the Vols were driving to add to that lead when a miscommunication on a fourth-and-1 at South Carolina’s 38-yard line with 3:31 to play resulted in MacIntyre getting stuffed for a 1-yard loss.
“It was missteps by George on that one,” Heupel said.
The Gamecocks, who scored 14 points in their first 12 snaps but had been held to just a field goal since, erupted to zip 61 yards in six plays and produced a 24-24 tie on a 4-yard run by Sellers with 1:17 left. He threw for 210 yards and rushed for 96, totaling three touchdowns.
Tennessee had a 48-yard touchdown pass from MacIntyre to Mike Matthews midway through the third quarter negated by fellow receiver Tyreek King lining up wrong and being an ineligible man downfield. The Vols also had an 18-yard scoring connection from MacIntyre to Braylon Staley early in the fourth quarter wiped away by a holding call on left tackle David Sanders, which is when they settled on the Ranvier field goal.
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The Vols had three touchdowns called back overall and committed 12 penalties for 90 yards.
“That’s 21 points off the board, and I think we all know how different this game would have looked if we didn’t have those penalties,” MacIntyre said. “It didn’t feel like we had that many penalties throughout the whole game. They just happened at the worst time possible.
“It was one of the most frustrating games I’ve ever played in.”
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com.