The Good the Bad and the ugly Gamecocks have a big win over the No. 5 team in the nation Tennessee 63-38
Nov. 20, 2022
South Carolina came away with a 63-38 upset win against No. 5 Tennessee on Saturday at Williams-Brice Stadium. The victory over the Volunteers was the Gamecocks’ first win against a Top 5 team since South Carolina beat No. 4 Georgia in Athens in 2019. Here are the good bad and ugly from South Carolina on Saturday night at WB..
THE GOOD
Quick start: South Carolina jumped out to an early lead by scoring a touchdown in its first drive of the game. The Gamecocks found the endzone on their first five possessions and posted 35 points by halftime. The team never trailed and forced the Volunteers to hurry their offense and play from behind. The Gamecocks hadn’t scored 30 or more points against a Top 5 team since 2018 when it did so in a loss to Clemson.
Big pass plays: The Gamecocks have struggled at times in the passing game this year, but unleashed a barrage of big plays through the air on Saturday. The team finished with nine pass plays exceeding 20 yards. The longest was a 60-yard touchdown pass from Spencer Rattler to Josh Vann. Vann caught another one from Rattler that went for 18 yards. Junior tight end Jaheim Bell recorded his first touchdown catch of the season in the first quarter and got another one in the fourth quarter. Rattler finished the game with 438 passing yards and six touchdown passes, both of which were career highs. The six passing TDs were a single-game program record.
Wells brings the Juice: Antwane “Juice” Wells Jr. has been the team’s leading receiver all season, and he showed why on Saturday. Wells finished the game with a season-high 11 catches for 177 yards, providing the team with timely receptions that extended drives. It seemed that all of his catches came when the team needed a boost on offense. He rounded out his stat line with a rushing touchdown as well, taking a direct handoff in the third quarter to put the team up by 11 points.
Offensive creativity: South Carolina took a step forward with its offensive play calling against Tennessee. The team often placed Dakereon Joyner at quarterback for run plays, where he’d sometimes orchestrate the read option. Joyner even threw a pass to Rattler in the red zone, and the Gamecocks scored a touchdown a few plays later. South Carolina also found success running the end-around play. While the team took more shots down the field, it also found ways to get underneath the Tennessee defense and get yards after the catch. Gamecocks again were without the services of running back MarShawn Lloyd and also Christian Beal-Smith, so they needed much-needed discovery of new ways to get yards. Throwing the ball downfield worked pretty well for the Gamecocks Saturday night.
THE BAD
Nick Emmanwori flagged for targeting: The team lost freshman safety Nick Emmanwori to a targeting penalty in the first half. He was ejected after the officials determined he led with the crown of his helmet while trying to make a tackle in the second quarter. Redshirt freshman Peyton Williams stepped in for Emmanwori. The team’s secondary has dealt with injuries all season, and it resorted to another young defender on Saturday.
Keeping up with UT’s tempo: The Volunteers are known for their high-speed offense, and South Carolina got a taste of that on Saturday. While South Carolina got out to an early lead, Tennessee still managed to score 24 first-half points with scores on four of its first five drives. The team eventually pulled away despite the Volunteers’ success early on.
THE UGLY
Fans throwing debris: South Carolina fans threw water bottles on the field during the third quarter. They disagreed with a facemask penalty called against Cam Smith. The play before that call, Smith was called for pass interference, another call the fans were not happy with.
Nov. 20, 2022
South Carolina came away with a 63-38 upset win against No. 5 Tennessee on Saturday at Williams-Brice Stadium. The victory over the Volunteers was the Gamecocks’ first win against a Top 5 team since South Carolina beat No. 4 Georgia in Athens in 2019. Here are the good bad and ugly from South Carolina on Saturday night at WB..
THE GOOD
Quick start: South Carolina jumped out to an early lead by scoring a touchdown in its first drive of the game. The Gamecocks found the endzone on their first five possessions and posted 35 points by halftime. The team never trailed and forced the Volunteers to hurry their offense and play from behind. The Gamecocks hadn’t scored 30 or more points against a Top 5 team since 2018 when it did so in a loss to Clemson.
Big pass plays: The Gamecocks have struggled at times in the passing game this year, but unleashed a barrage of big plays through the air on Saturday. The team finished with nine pass plays exceeding 20 yards. The longest was a 60-yard touchdown pass from Spencer Rattler to Josh Vann. Vann caught another one from Rattler that went for 18 yards. Junior tight end Jaheim Bell recorded his first touchdown catch of the season in the first quarter and got another one in the fourth quarter. Rattler finished the game with 438 passing yards and six touchdown passes, both of which were career highs. The six passing TDs were a single-game program record.
Wells brings the Juice: Antwane “Juice” Wells Jr. has been the team’s leading receiver all season, and he showed why on Saturday. Wells finished the game with a season-high 11 catches for 177 yards, providing the team with timely receptions that extended drives. It seemed that all of his catches came when the team needed a boost on offense. He rounded out his stat line with a rushing touchdown as well, taking a direct handoff in the third quarter to put the team up by 11 points.
Offensive creativity: South Carolina took a step forward with its offensive play calling against Tennessee. The team often placed Dakereon Joyner at quarterback for run plays, where he’d sometimes orchestrate the read option. Joyner even threw a pass to Rattler in the red zone, and the Gamecocks scored a touchdown a few plays later. South Carolina also found success running the end-around play. While the team took more shots down the field, it also found ways to get underneath the Tennessee defense and get yards after the catch. Gamecocks again were without the services of running back MarShawn Lloyd and also Christian Beal-Smith, so they needed much-needed discovery of new ways to get yards. Throwing the ball downfield worked pretty well for the Gamecocks Saturday night.
THE BAD
Nick Emmanwori flagged for targeting: The team lost freshman safety Nick Emmanwori to a targeting penalty in the first half. He was ejected after the officials determined he led with the crown of his helmet while trying to make a tackle in the second quarter. Redshirt freshman Peyton Williams stepped in for Emmanwori. The team’s secondary has dealt with injuries all season, and it resorted to another young defender on Saturday.
Keeping up with UT’s tempo: The Volunteers are known for their high-speed offense, and South Carolina got a taste of that on Saturday. While South Carolina got out to an early lead, Tennessee still managed to score 24 first-half points with scores on four of its first five drives. The team eventually pulled away despite the Volunteers’ success early on.
THE UGLY
Fans throwing debris: South Carolina fans threw water bottles on the field during the third quarter. They disagreed with a facemask penalty called against Cam Smith. The play before that call, Smith was called for pass interference, another call the fans were not happy with.
