Tennessee rallies from 14 down to lead South Carolina 21-17 late in second quarter

No. 11 Tennessee took its first lead late in the second quarter on Saturday at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, moving ahead of South Carolina 21-17 with 24 seconds left before halftime. The game kicked off at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time on ESPN, with Tennessee arriving at 6-1 overall and 3-1 in the SEC and South Carolina at 3-3 and 1-3 in league play after a bye week.

South Carolina started far faster. The Gamecocks received the opening kickoff and drove 75 yards, scoring on an 18-yard touchdown pass from LaNorris Sellers to Mazeo Bennett for a 7-0 lead. After Tennessee went three-and-out, Sellers threw for 27 yards and then ran 31 yards for another touchdown on a two-play drive, putting the Vols down 14-0 with 8:17 left in the first quarter.

Tennessee answered with a long, grinding drive that changed the momentum. The Vols went 75 yards in 18 plays over nine minutes, with DeSean Bishop running 11 times for 51 yards on the drive and finishing it with a 1-yard touchdown early in the second quarter. The drive survived setbacks that included a long George MacIntyre touchdown pass to DaSaahn Brame being called back by penalty, but it cut the deficit to 14-7.

The defense then gave Tennessee a short field, intercepting Sellers and taking over at the South Carolina 28. Ten plays later Brame scored on a 1-yard run on fourth-and-goal to tie the game at 14-14. South Carolina retook the lead on a 22-yard field goal with 1:44 left in the half after missing a chance in the end zone, but Tennessee responded by driving 75 yards in seven plays, with Mike Matthews scoring on an 8-yard run out of the wildcat to put the Vols in front.

The turnaround mattered for a Tennessee team coming off a 26-10 win over Alabama and trying to continue its College Football Playoff push. The Vols have a bye next week before closing the regular season in November with home games against Kentucky and LSU and road games at Texas A&M and Vanderbilt.