COLUMBIA — Against Tennessee on Saturday, the No. 17 South Carolina Gamecocks lost one star when running back Marcus Lattimore went down indefinitely with a severe knee injury.
Another start took his place — and helped USC hold off a late Tennessee rally to earn a 38-35 victory that ended a two-game losing streak.
Trailing by the same score, UT looked prime to take the lead in the last minute of the game, but defensive end Jadeveon Clowney recorded his 8.5 sack of the season when he nailed quarterback Tyler Bray and stripped the ball, turning it over for a beleaguered USC defense.
"Jadeveon Clowney, he won the game for us," Spurrier said. "That was the key to the game. He knocked it loose, and our guys fell on the fumble. It worked out, and we're a happy bunch of Gamecocks."
That wasn't the case for much of the game for the USC defense, which came into the contest ranked ninth in total defense but allowed a season-high 472 total yards to UT (3-5, 0-5 SEC).
"They kept us out of the quarterback's face a lot," Clowney said. "We usually crash the quarterback more than we did today. We've got to help the DBs out more."
The Gamecocks (7-2, 5-2) also found a way to overcome the emotional loss of Lattimore. The offense racked up 510 yards behind a career-high 356 passing yards from junior quarterback Connor Shaw, who enjoyed UT's 95th-ranked defense more than LSU and Florida.
"We took what the defense gave," Shaw said. "We were able to hit some spots. I just felt like we played pretty solid on offense. I had good passing lanes to see. Coach harped all week to get it out of my hands, be decisive. That's what I worked on all week. I think it showed today."
The defense struggled defending the pass, allowing Bray to throw four touchdowns and 368 yards, but the Gamecocks, especially Clowney, came up big when they needed to late in the game.
"It was a tight game," Clowney said. "I needed to help the team out as much as possible. In the heat of the moment I had to make a play. I had to give everything I got to help the team out."
Clowney said UT's offensive line, which had allowed just three sacks all season, was the best he'd faced this year.
After his forced fumble, USC went three-and-out and gave the Vols the ball back at their own 16 with 36 seconds left. After Clowney got pressure on Bray on first down, the UT QB made sure he got rid of it on second down — and the ball landed right in the hands of USC cornerback Vic Hampton to seal the win.
"We just really had to make a big play, make a big stop, and we did," Hampton said. "They came out and made some good throws and made some good catches. We didn't play as aggressive as we wanted to. I can't take anything away from Tennessee. But we stepped up at the end."
It didn't appear early on that the game would come down to one late play.
Shaw got going with a 33-yard touchdown pass to Bruce Ellington and a 26-yard TD pass to Rory Anderson to take a 14-7 lead early in the second quarter. USC increased it advantage to 21-7 with 8:22 left in the first half after Lattimore sprinted for a 28-yard touchdown run.
The Vols answered on Bray's 37-yard pass to Zach Rogers the drive before Lattimore's injury. The Gamecocks kept their composure and scored on a 1-yard run by Shaw just before the half to go back up by two touchdowns.
UT got it going in the second half when USC's Jimmy Legree fell down trying to defend a pass to Vincent Dallas, who walked into the end zone for a 61-yard score.
Ace Sanders' 24-yard TD catch from Shaw pushed the lead back to 35-21 before the Vols answered early in the fourth. But an Adam Yates 36-yard field goal ended up being the difference in the game. The Vols made it close with another Bray pass to Rogers for a score before USC's defense finally forced those two late stops.
"It's the same old song and dance in the SEC games, but we had a chance to win," UT coach Derek Dooley. "They made a great play, got the ball out and turned it over. So all you can do is move on."
USC tight end Justice Cunningham finished with 108 yards on six catches, and Ellington went for 101 yards on six receptions as the Gamecocks answered some questions despite an emotional day heading into their bye week.
"For me it was like a check to see where our heads were, where our heart was coming off of two losses," said Sanders, who caught five passes for 79 yards and a touchdown. "Would we just lay down and let the season go or would we bounce back and try to play this thing out? I'm just happy with the way we responded. We had a couple breakdowns, but we bounced back and got the win. That just showed me where we were. "
link: http://www.independentmail.com/news/2012/oct/27/no-17-gamecocks-find-a-way-to-hold-off-vols-on/
Another start took his place — and helped USC hold off a late Tennessee rally to earn a 38-35 victory that ended a two-game losing streak.
Trailing by the same score, UT looked prime to take the lead in the last minute of the game, but defensive end Jadeveon Clowney recorded his 8.5 sack of the season when he nailed quarterback Tyler Bray and stripped the ball, turning it over for a beleaguered USC defense.
"Jadeveon Clowney, he won the game for us," Spurrier said. "That was the key to the game. He knocked it loose, and our guys fell on the fumble. It worked out, and we're a happy bunch of Gamecocks."
That wasn't the case for much of the game for the USC defense, which came into the contest ranked ninth in total defense but allowed a season-high 472 total yards to UT (3-5, 0-5 SEC).
"They kept us out of the quarterback's face a lot," Clowney said. "We usually crash the quarterback more than we did today. We've got to help the DBs out more."
The Gamecocks (7-2, 5-2) also found a way to overcome the emotional loss of Lattimore. The offense racked up 510 yards behind a career-high 356 passing yards from junior quarterback Connor Shaw, who enjoyed UT's 95th-ranked defense more than LSU and Florida.
"We took what the defense gave," Shaw said. "We were able to hit some spots. I just felt like we played pretty solid on offense. I had good passing lanes to see. Coach harped all week to get it out of my hands, be decisive. That's what I worked on all week. I think it showed today."
The defense struggled defending the pass, allowing Bray to throw four touchdowns and 368 yards, but the Gamecocks, especially Clowney, came up big when they needed to late in the game.
"It was a tight game," Clowney said. "I needed to help the team out as much as possible. In the heat of the moment I had to make a play. I had to give everything I got to help the team out."
Clowney said UT's offensive line, which had allowed just three sacks all season, was the best he'd faced this year.
After his forced fumble, USC went three-and-out and gave the Vols the ball back at their own 16 with 36 seconds left. After Clowney got pressure on Bray on first down, the UT QB made sure he got rid of it on second down — and the ball landed right in the hands of USC cornerback Vic Hampton to seal the win.
"We just really had to make a big play, make a big stop, and we did," Hampton said. "They came out and made some good throws and made some good catches. We didn't play as aggressive as we wanted to. I can't take anything away from Tennessee. But we stepped up at the end."
It didn't appear early on that the game would come down to one late play.
Shaw got going with a 33-yard touchdown pass to Bruce Ellington and a 26-yard TD pass to Rory Anderson to take a 14-7 lead early in the second quarter. USC increased it advantage to 21-7 with 8:22 left in the first half after Lattimore sprinted for a 28-yard touchdown run.
The Vols answered on Bray's 37-yard pass to Zach Rogers the drive before Lattimore's injury. The Gamecocks kept their composure and scored on a 1-yard run by Shaw just before the half to go back up by two touchdowns.
UT got it going in the second half when USC's Jimmy Legree fell down trying to defend a pass to Vincent Dallas, who walked into the end zone for a 61-yard score.
Ace Sanders' 24-yard TD catch from Shaw pushed the lead back to 35-21 before the Vols answered early in the fourth. But an Adam Yates 36-yard field goal ended up being the difference in the game. The Vols made it close with another Bray pass to Rogers for a score before USC's defense finally forced those two late stops.
"It's the same old song and dance in the SEC games, but we had a chance to win," UT coach Derek Dooley. "They made a great play, got the ball out and turned it over. So all you can do is move on."
USC tight end Justice Cunningham finished with 108 yards on six catches, and Ellington went for 101 yards on six receptions as the Gamecocks answered some questions despite an emotional day heading into their bye week.
"For me it was like a check to see where our heads were, where our heart was coming off of two losses," said Sanders, who caught five passes for 79 yards and a touchdown. "Would we just lay down and let the season go or would we bounce back and try to play this thing out? I'm just happy with the way we responded. We had a couple breakdowns, but we bounced back and got the win. That just showed me where we were. "
link: http://www.independentmail.com/news/2012/oct/27/no-17-gamecocks-find-a-way-to-hold-off-vols-on/