Tennessee Lets Late Lead Slip in 27-24 Loss at South Carolina

No. 11 Tennessee left Columbia with a 27-24 loss to South Carolina after a game the Volunteers had been in position to win in the final minutes. Tennessee carried a seven-point advantage deep into the fourth quarter, but South Carolina drew level at 24, and the closing sequence turned sharply against the visitors.

With the ball late and a drive moving toward midfield, Tennessee had a chance to set up a go-ahead field goal. That opportunity ended when South Carolina's Dylan Stewart reached quarterback George MacIntyre and forced a fumble, giving the Gamecocks possession and the chance to finish the game themselves. South Carolina used that opening to set up a walk-off field goal for the three-point win.

Afterward, MacIntyre was among the Tennessee players who spoke about the defeat, along with wide receiver Mike Matthews, TJ Metcalf, and Amare Campbell. Their reactions came after a result that stood in contrast to the week before, when Tennessee had beaten Alabama 26-10, while South Carolina entered this matchup coming off a bye week.

Tennessee now heads into its own bye week before the November finish to the regular season, with home games against Kentucky and LSU and road trips to Texas A&M and Vanderbilt still to come. The loss also adds another chapter to a long series Tennessee still leads 27-11-2 dating back to 1903. The teams had not met since 2023, when Tennessee won 41-20 at Neyland Stadium, while their previous meeting in Columbia in 2022 ended in a 63-38 South Carolina win.