Unranked Gamecocks shock No. 5 Tennessee in 63-38 upset

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WCSC/AP) - The South Carolina Gamecocks upset the fifth-ranked Tennessee Volunteers at Williams-Brice Stadium on Saturday night, winning 63-38.

This marks the most points the Tennessee Volunteers (9-2, 6-2 Southeastern, No. 5 CFP) have given up to an unranked opponent in school history.

The Gamecocks (7-4, 4-4) came out firing early, taking a 21-7 in the first quarter, and never let up in the second half.

South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler has a career night with 438 passing yards and six touchdowns. Rattler came into the night with nine interceptions and eight touchdowns and averaging 198 yards a game passing. There were questions asked about whether the Gamecocks might want to test out the backup.

But the junior was patient in the pocket, dropping passes into the narrowest of windows. He ran when he had to with five carries for 16 yards. And he even caught a pass in the red zone from Fort Dorchester alum Dakeron Joyner, who also had two rushing touchdowns on the night.

Rattler’s best day before Saturday was 387 yards against Kansas State for Oklahoma in 2020 and five TDs for the Sooners against Western Carolina in 2021.

Antwane Wells Jr. caught 11 passes for 177 yards and Josh Vann and Jaheim Bell each caught two touchdowns for the Gamecocks.

Tennessee may have also lost Heisman Trophy candidate Hendon Hooker, who left the game in the fourth quarter with a leg injury, falling and fumbling without being hit.

Hooker was 25 of 42 for 247 yards and three TDs before his injury. There was no immediate word on the severity of his hurt leg, but he did not return to the game.

Joe Milton III took over at QB for the Vols when Hooker went down, turning the ball over on downs after driving into the red zone then leading a four-play 75-yard scoring drive in the final two minutes.

The Tennessee defense could do almost nothing to stop the 11th-best offense in the SEC. The Gamecocks gained 606 yards after failing to get over 300 yards in three of their past four games.

THE TAKEAWAY

Tennessee: A promising season for Tennessee imploded when the defense could not make a stop. South Carolina scored touchdowns on nine of 11 drives. One of the unsuccessful ones was a one-play drive that ended the first half.

South Carolina: The Gamecocks beat a Top 5 team for only the seventh time and their fans rushed the field. It was their biggest win since knocking off No. 2 Georgia 20-17 in 2019 in double overtime. The 63 points were the most in an SEC game by the Gamecocks since they beat Mississippi State 65-39 in 1995.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

On a day when many of the top teams bent, but didn’t break (see No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Michigan and No. 4 TCU), Tennessee got run over. The Vols likely will take a significant plunge in the new Associated Press Top 25 on Sunday. This loss all but eliminated the Volunteers from the playoffs.

UP NEXT

Tennessee: The Vols head to Vanderbilt. Tennessee has a three-game winning streak in the series after losing three in a row.

South Carolina: The Gamecocks head to Clemson, who have won seven in a row in the bitter in-state rivalry.

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