Dan Fleser
Spencer Rattler did not strike Tennessee with the same menace as before and South Carolina’s quarterback gave full credit to the Vols’ defense.
He compiled a postgame checklist of sorts to commend the defenders for their part in UT’s 41-20 football victory before a noisy, blackout-attired crowd of 101,915 at Neyland Stadium. Rattler said the defensive linemen, who combined to sack him six times, are talented and “twitchy.” He credited the secondary for being “in good coverage a lot of the time.” Finally, he said the defense’s overall schemes and strategies were well-suited for the Gamecocks.
“That was our first test,” Rattler said, “where they kind of matched how we have been playing. Credit to them, they did a great job.”
The same quarterback who threw for 438 yards and six touchdowns in a rout of Tennessee last season was limited to 169 yards passing and no TDs. Well, Rattler did throw one scoring pass to the Vols. Cornerback Kamel Hadden snatched an errant throw and returned it 28 yards for a crucial touchdown in the final minute of the first half.
Small wonder Rattler concluded that Saturday’s game for the Vols “was like their Super Bowl.” It was equally predictable that UT coach Josh Heupel said losing 63-48 in Columbia, S.C. a season ago had nothing to do with the rematch. While the truth lies somewhere between those two perspectives, Heupel could imagine Rattler’s view rather vividly.
“He was uncomfortable all night, throwing out of a well, trying to scramble” Heupel said during his Vol Network interview. “There was nothing easy for him.”
Here’s some other notes, quotes and thoughts about the game:
-Despite the win, Tennessee (4-1, 1-1 SEC) suffered a significant loss. Wide receiver Bru McCoy was carted off the field in the second quarter after suffering a lower-leg injury. He was taken by ambulance to UT Medical Center. Heupel offered no update afterward regarding McCoy’s condition but said, “everybody saw it was a lower-body injury that did not look good.”
McCoy, who had two catches for 21 yards, suffered the injury when being tackled after a 17-yard reception. He’s second on the team in catches with 17.
-Center Cooper Mays, who underwent hernia surgery on Aug. 9, returned after missing the first four games. Mays’ presence coincided with Tennessee’s 238-yard rushing performance. The Vols ran for three TDs. A pair of double-team blocks by the O-line sprang Jaylen Wright for a 42-yard dash to the game’s opening score.
“It opened up, I saw grass, and I just hit it,” Wright said.
The Vols took control with a 12-play, 75-yard scoring drive to start the second half. The drive featured nine runs for 63 of those yards.
Wright said Mays’ return “created great movement” up front.
“Coop’s smart; he communicates at a really high level,” Heupel said. “He gets all five guys on the same page. Within our tempo, that’s absolutely critical.”
-Along with pressuring Rattler, Tennessee’s defensive line largely controlled the line of scrimmage - with one glaring exception. Mario Anderson ran 75 yards untouched for a third-quarter TD. Otherwise, the Gamecocks had 57 total yards on their other 26 carries.
The secondary, which included several players who were victimized by Rattler last season, benefitted from the pass rush but also played its part in being disciplined in its coverages. Collectively, they limited South Carolina receiver Xavier Leggett to five catches for 50 yards. Last season’s game had a lot to do with this aspect of UT’s play.
“It was a combination of match-man principle coverages, but you also saw some zone,” Heupel said. “They did a really good job of being in their spots. A year ago, we got hurt on some high-low schemes. I thought we did a really good job of playing it from high to low.”
Defensive backs Wesley Walker and Jaylen McCollough combined with linebacker Elijah Herring to lead the team in tackles with five apiece.
-Squirrel White, who caught nine passes for 104 yards, had Tennessee’s first 100-yard receiving game of the season.
-The sacks were the most in a game since UT had seven against Mississippi State on Oct. 12, 2019.
-Former Vols QB Hendon Hooker, who suffered an ACL knee injury against South Carolina last season, attended the game.
-Special teams got mixed reviews. The kickers converted all their extra-point and field goal attempts. Punter Jason Ross averaged 49 yards on three punts and had one downed inside the 10-yard line. But the Vols were victimized by a South Carolina pass out of punt formation. And a Dee Williams punt return for a TD was erased by a penalty.
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Dan Fleser is a 1980 graduate of the University of Missouri, who has covered University of Tennessee athletics since 1988. He is a 2022 inductee to the Tennessee Sportswriters Hall of Fame. He can be reached at danfleser3@gmail.com.