All the pieces were falling into place nicely for South Carolina Saturday at Tennessee. The Gamecocks were mounting a second-half comeback – something Volunteers fans were used to seeing this year – and they had Tennessee on the ropes. But unlike earlier UT games this season, South Carolina’s comeback fell short in a 27-24 defeat.

It ended in a most painful way, with Carolina tight end Jerell Adams fumbling at the Volunteers’ 13-yard line with 32 seconds to play, taking away the chance for a game-winning touchdown or, at the very least, a tying field goal.

With the loss, South Carolina fell to 1-6 in the SEC and 3-6 overall.  All losses hurt, but this one hurt a little more. Turnovers in the final minute will do that.

5 TAKEAWAYS

  1. The Orth-er Guy:  Perry Orth made his fourth-straight start under center for South Carolina and threw for 233 yards, the  second-highest passing total of his career. The junior was 20-for-39 passing and took control of the offense with three touchdown passes in the third quarter. He had the Gamecocks driving for the potential game-winning score in the game’s waning moments — had it not been for a Jerell Adams fumble.  Orth played a clean, turnover-free game. It’s just the third time this season that South Carolina didn’t throw an interception and the first time since Week 4 against Central Florida.
  2. Definitely Defense: The South Carolina defense woke up after the first quarter. The most telling stat was the measly 17 total rushing yards the Volunteers’ esteemed running game earned in the second half. That includes holding Tennessee’s Jalen Hurd to only 90 yards rushing for the game. The South Carolina defense held Tennessee below its season averages for total yards (about 40 yards less) and passing yards (about a 55-yard differential). The unit was solid, finishing with seven tackles-for-loss, two sacks, an interception and three broken-up passes to go along with scooping up two of the three fumbles they forced.
  3. Chippy Play: Saturday’s tilt in Knoxville wasn’t pretty, as conditions and emotions played a role to make for a sloppy game. The dreary afternoon could be blamed for the game’s five fumbles, three of which were lost — including the aforementioned Jerell Adams’ fumble that ended the game. Each team had six penalties, and among those were several unsportsmanlike conduct flags and the ejection of Tennessee DB Brian Randolph for targeting on South Carolina star Pharoh Cooper. All of which made for a chippy day in Neyland Stadium.
  4. Knotted-up: The South Carolina-Tennessee rivalry has been the most competitive series in the SEC the past decade, with the teams splitting the 10 games. How close is the rivalry? The last three contests have been decided by a combined total of just eight points. In the last 13 games, 10 of them have been within a touchdown in the fourth quarter, while six of the last 11 games have had a final margin of three-or-less points. Long story short, Saturday’s 27-24 game should have come as no surprise, even after Tennessee went up 17 points in the first half.
  5. Elliott the man: Shawn Elliott is building his case to remain South Carolina’s permanent head coach. Yes, his record is 1-2, but the Gamecocks have been in every game under the former offensive line coach with a newfound energy the team lacked under the recently-resigned Steve Spurrier. At the very least, Elliott certainly has earned an interview, but it might take an upset of Florida or Clemson to give him a shot at returning to Columbia next year. If South Carolina goes a different direction, then Elliott has to make an attractive head coaching option for another program. His leadership and passion have been impressive.

REPORT CARD

  • Offense: (B-minus) – South Carolina controlled the clock for five minutes more than Tennessee and posted 385 total yards,  233 in the air. The Gamecocks were 3-for-4 on trips to the red zone, scoring three touchdowns.
  • Defense: (B) – The defense rebounded from a porous first quarter by shutting down the Vols, especially in the second half, in which they limited the Tennessee run game to 17 rushing yards. Still, the Gamecocks surrendered 404 total yards
  • Special Teams: (C-plus) – Elliot Fry connected on a 43-yard field goal, but missed from 46. Punter Sean Kelly had a good day, averaging 49.7 yards per punt. Carolina didn’t get much out of the return game. Pharoh Cooper finished with minus-3 punt return yards.
  • Coaching: (B) – Shawn Elliott was creative, but early mistakes and questionable play selections played a role in the loss.
  • Overall: (B) – The Gamecocks made some adjustments and was able to fight and take the heavily-favored Volunteers to the game’s very last play.

GAME PLAN

You might as well try something new when you’re 3-5 and trailing by two touchdowns in the second half. Shawn Elliott got creative with his play-calling, effectively using a handful of trick plays, including a flea-flicker and linebacker Jonathan Walton as an option at wide receiver. With Tennessee’s front-four disabling the Gamecock rush attack, Elliott found success in the air with junior quarterback Perry Orth, who threw three touchdown passes in the third quarter. Elliott, however, was critical of himself and his squad after the game. He made some questionable play calls early on that saw South Carolina quickly fall behind 14-0.  Among those head-scratching play selections was a fourth-and-4 call with 11:21 in the second quarter. Elliott opted for a draw play, rather than attacking the edges, and Tennessee stopped Brandon Wilds short of the first down. South Carolina is now 9 of 16 (1 of 2 against the Vols) on fourth down this season.

GAME BALLS

  • Jonathan Walton, Jr., LB – TD rec., 10 receiving yards, 2.0 tackles
  • Perry Orth, Jr., QB – 233 passing yards, 3 TDs, 42 rushing yards
  • Phillip Dukes, DT, Sr. – 4.0 tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss, forced fumble

INJURY REPORT

  • Pharoh Cooper left the game in the first quarter after taking a vicious hit from Brian Randolph. Trainers ran concussion tests on the junior, who was able to return to the field before the end of the quarter. Cooper finished with 47 receiving yards and the game-tying touchdown to complete the Gamecocks’ 17-point comeback toward the end of the third quarter.
  • Sophomore cornerback Al Harris Jr. walked off the field after dislocating his shoulder in the second quarter and did not return.
  • WR D.J. Neal was sent to the hospital to have his injured hip examined. Carolina coach Shawn Elliott said after the game that he believes the wideout’s results were negative and that Neal was “going to be OK.”
  • Sophomore defensive ends David Johnson (lower leg) and Dante Sawyer (shoulder) each left the game in the fourth quarter.