No. 5 Tennessee’s desires of constructing the College Football Playoff disappeared because the Volunteers have been unable to cease South Carolina’s offense on Saturday evening in a 63-38 loss.
And once we say that Tennessee couldn’t cease South Carolina, we imply that very actually. Outside of a one-play drive to finish the primary half, South Carolina (7-4) scored touchdowns on eight of its first 9 possessions. The Gamecocks scored on their first 5 possessions of the evening and didn’t punt till the third quarter because of a improbable efficiency by QB Spencer Rattler.
If the loss itself wasn’t dangerous sufficient, the evening bought even worse for Tennessee (10-2) within the fourth quarter when Heisman candidate quarterback Hendon Hooker crumpled to the bottom with out getting touched. Hooker suffered a left knee damage on the play and by no means returned to the sport after limping to the locker room.
Rattler transferred to South Carolina from Oklahoma forward of the 2022 season after he was changed because the Sooners’ beginning quarterback by Caleb Williams. Rattler struggled in 2021 as he opened the season because the Heisman favourite and got here to South Carolina seeking to seize the 2020 type that made him a preseason Heisman contender.
That type had eluded him till Saturday evening. After throwing eight touchdowns and 9 interceptions by means of South Carolina’s first 10 video games of the season, Rattler threw six touchdowns and no interceptions as South Carolina scored probably the most factors ever by a ranked group in opposition to a group within the high 5 of the AP ballot.
Spencer Rattler’s finest recreation ever
Rattler by no means threw for 5 touchdowns in a single recreation at Oklahoma — not to mention six — and his 438 yards are a career-high. It was clear that South Carolina wished to place up as many factors as doable when Rattler was nonetheless throwing within the remaining minutes of the fourth quarter and located Jalen Brooks for a 20-yard catch-and-run TD with 2:06 to go.
South Carolina scored 28 consecutive factors to place the sport away after Tennessee reduce USC’s result in 4 with 9:53 to go within the third quarter. The 9 TDs the Gamecocks scored in opposition to UT got here after USC had just 18 offensive scores overall in its first seven SEC video games of the season.
The Gamecocks had over 500 yards of offense and likewise rushed for 3 scores. Antwane Wells Jr. had 10 catches for 141 yards and Josh Vann had a 60-yard TD catch and an 18-yard TD catch as Tennessee’s secondary merely couldn’t cowl.
Tennessee’s offense wasn’t as explosive because it’s been at instances in 2022, nevertheless it was nonetheless adequate to win the sport with an honest exhibiting by the Tennessee protection. After all, South Carolina had scored simply six factors in opposition to Florida the week earlier than and 10 factors in opposition to Missouri on Oct. 29.
But the protection was the Vols’ undoing as UT’s possibilities of making the playoff at the moment are zero. No two-loss group has ever made the College Football Playoff and Tennessee gained’t be within the SEC title recreation. Without that further recreation, the Vols will end 10-2 at finest and head to a New Year’s Six bowl recreation. Hopefully that recreation consists of Hooker and his knee damage is not too critical.
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