South Carolina needed their defense to force three turnovers to grind out a narrow 24-21 win over No. 18 Tennessee. With the victory South Carolina head coach Will Muschamp is now 5-0 against Tennessee in his career, earning his first win against a ranked opponent since coming to Columbia.
The 7:20 p.m. start marked the first night game at Williams-Brice of the 2016 season. The late start invigorated the home crowd, and South Carolina was able to capitalize on that energy with a nine-play, 73-yard scoring drive to open the game.
"What a great win for our football team and our program," said Muschamp. "Our fan base was amazing, and it was an electric atmosphere. We felt the energy coming up during Gamecock Walk, and we appreciate that."
Facing fourth and two at the Tennessee 39-yard line, freshman quarterback Jake Bentley kept the drive alive with 16-yard scramble for a first down. Sophomore receiver Deebo Samuel made an acrobatic catch on the following play to put the Gamecocks in the red zone. Freshman running back Rico Dowdle would punch in the touchdown with a 1-yard rush.
Tennessee was forced to punt on their first offensive possession, but would tie the game on their next opportunity with a 1-yard touchdown from running back Jalen Hurd. Prior to that score, a potential 49-yard touchdown by Tennessee's quarterback Josh Dobbs was called back to the South Carolina 14-yard line on a holding penalty. A confrontation in the end zone between South Carolina cornerback Chris Lammons and Tennessee wide receiver Jauan Jennings escalated to Lammons throwing two punches. He was subsequently flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct and ejected from the game.
Early in the second quarter South Carolina defensive back Jamarcus King would intercept a vagrant pass from Dobbs to set up another scoring drive. Bentley's 17-yard touchdown pass to fellow freshman Bryan Edwards would extend the South Carolina lead to 14-7 after the extra point.
Defending against the running game, South Carolina ranked No. 101 out of 128 FBS teams coming into the game. However, in the first half the Gamecocks were able to exploit a Tennessee offensive line that appeared to be out of sync, holding the Volunteers to just 2.1 yards per rushing attempt.
After the half a 28-yard field goal by Elliott Fry helped secure a two-score lead for the Gamecocks.
Tennessee's Evan Berry would immediately respond with a 100-yard field return on the kickoff, threading the center of the field before finding space on the exterior. Berry returned three kickoffs for touchdowns in 2015.
In the fourth quarter South Carolina would once again profit from a Tennessee turnover. A fumble by Dobbs was recovered by South Carolina defensive lineman Darius English at midfield. Bentley would find tight end K.C. Crosby in the end zone with a 35-yard strike.
Bentley would finish with 167 yards, completing 15 passes on 20 attempts despite being under constant pressure from Tennessee's front-seven. The Volunteers tallied six sacks, getting three from their Preseason-All American defensive end Derek Barnett.
King would record a second interception with less than four minutes remaining. Winning the turnover differential has been critical for the Gamecocks this season. In their last three victories South Carolina's defense has forced 11 combined turnovers.
The Volunteers engineered a potential late comeback, marching 46-yards downfield in 35 seconds before being unable to convert a 58-yard field goal attempt.
With the win South Carolina will claw back to .500 on the season, whereas Tennessee will fall to 5-3 with a string of three consecutive losses.
"It meant a lot, especially for us, this is my third year here and the last two times we've played Tennessee we've kind of let them get the win at the end of the game," said junior linebacker Bryson Allen-Williams. "So it meant a lot to finish out this game and it means a lot for the future of our program."
The Gamecocks will continue their home stand when they host Missouri on Nov. 5 at 4:00 p.m.