George MacIntyre says Tennessee must win out after 27-24 loss at South Carolina

Tennessee quarterback George MacIntyre faced the media in Columbia after the No. 11 Volunteers fell 27-24 to South Carolina on Saturday at Williams-Brice Stadium, beaten by a 48-yard field goal as time ran out. Asked about the College Football Playoff picture after a second loss this season, MacIntyre said the path is now simple: Tennessee has to win the rest of its games. He pointed to tough opponents still ahead, called the SEC a week-to-week league, and said the upcoming bye week should give the Vols a chance to clean things up and get ready for the closing stretch.

Much of his postgame session centered on mistakes Tennessee made itself, above all penalties that wiped out three touchdowns. MacIntyre put that at 21 points taken off the board and said the game would have looked very different without them. He noted the flags did not feel constant throughout the night, but they arrived at the worst possible moments, and he described the result as one of the most frustrating games he has played in because drive after drive was killed by a score being called back. Receiver Mike Matthews echoed that view, saying the penalties came exactly when Tennessee scored and were a crucial part of the outcome.

MacIntyre also walked through two late plays that hurt the Vols. On the failed fourth-and-1, he called it a simple miscommunication in a jumbo formation Tennessee had used all game, saying the offense has to be more locked into the details, and he confirmed the play involved checks and could have resembled DaSaahn Brame's touchdown from the first half. On the fumble that ended Tennessee's final possession, he said he was looking left on a quick throw, felt pressure arrive from his right, and would need the film to judge what broke down, while adding that he thought he saw a receiver coming open over the middle.