Tennessee football gets payback against South Carolina and Spencer Rattler
No. 19 Tennessee football pulled out all the stops for a 41-20 payback win over South Carolina on Saturday night.
Hendon Hooker was on the sideline for inspiration. UT’s 1998 national title team was in attendance for "Champions Weekend." And the Vols donned all-black uniforms amid a raucous sellout crowd of 101,915 at Neyland Stadium.
UT (4-1, 1-1 SEC) delivered with a victory it had craved since suffering an ugly 63-38 loss to South Carolina (2-3, 1-2) last November.
That defeat booted the Vols from last season’s College Football Playoff picture and ended Hooker’s UT career with a knee injury. He’s now a rookie quarterback with the Detroit Lions.
This win got the Vols’ season back on track as they head into the off week. Here are seven observations from the game.
Vols put Spencer Rattler on his back
UT’s defense put quarterback Spencer Rattler on the run and on his back all game.
The Vols sacked Rattler six times, forced him into poor passes and cooled off what had been the hottest quarterback in the SEC. Defensive end James Pearce led with two sacks.
It was sweet for the Vols, who were torched by Rattler for 438 passing yards and six TDs in last year’s game. This time, Rattler was held to 24-of-35 passing for 169 yards, no TDs and one interception.
But it followed a predictable script. UT leads the SEC in sacks, and South Carolina had given up the most sacks of any team in the league.
Jaylen Wright rushed for 100 again
UT running backs took turns in the spotlight for the No. 1 rushing offense in the SEC, but Jaylen Wright took the lead.
Wright broke a 42-yard TD run on the opening drive. He finished with a season-high 123 yards on 16 carries for his third 100-yard game of the season. The Vols rushed for more than 230 yards.
Jabari Small had a 2-yard TD run. Dylan Sampson had a career-long 37-yard reception that set up a field goal, and he scored on a 6-yard TD run.
Kamal Hadden pick-6 was redemptive
Last season, UT cornerback Kamal Hadden was blasted by fans on social media for his poor performance and awkwardly timed celebrations in the blowout loss to South Carolina.
But he earned the right to dance in the end zone in this one.
In the second quarter, Hadden intercepted a Rattler pass and returned it 28 yards for a TD to extend the Vols’ lead from 17-10 to 24-10. Pearce pressured Rattler on the third-and-long pass, which overshot the receiver and was snagged by Hadden.
It was UT’s first interception returned for a TD since Theo Jackson against Vanderbilt on Nov. 27, 2021.
Joe Milton mistakes kept game close
UT quarterback Joe Milton threw two costly interceptions after previously tossing only one pick in three seasons with the Vols.
In the first quarter, Milton was picked off over the middle by safety DQ Smith, who returned it to UT's 29-yard line. It led to a South Carolina TD.
In the third quarter, Milton underthrew a pass to tight end Jacob Warren. It was intercepted by Jalon Kilgore at the South Carolina 2-yard line. It potentially prevented a Vols score.
Milton recovered from both and made key plays down the stretch. He was 21-of-32 passing for 239 yards, one TD and two interceptions. He connected on a 50-yard pass to Squirrel White, who finished with 104 yards receiving.
Bru McCoy suffered gruesome injury
In the second quarter, UT wide receiver Bru McCoy caught an 17-yard pass and got twisted on the tackle by South Carolina's Smith and Marcellas Dial.
McCoy’s right foot turned 90 degrees to the right as he lay flat on his back.
McCoy put his hands on his helmet and writhed in pain. Athletic trainers from both sidelines sprinted to McCoy. Fans gasped, and then Neyland Stadium went quiet. Teammates surrounded McCoy as he was carted off.
McCoy, a Southern Cal transfer, had 17 receptions for 217 yards and one TD this season. He surpassed 1,100 yards for his career earlier in the game.
Neyland Stadium unbeaten for a dozen straight
UT stretched its home winning streak to 12 games. Under coach Josh Heupel, the Vols have a 15-3 record at Neyland Stadium in the past three seasons.
UT’s previous loss at home was to No. 1 Georgia on Nov. 13, 2021. The Vols’ next game is at home against Texas A&M on Oct. 14.
Cooper Mays returned on revamped line
Center Cooper Mays, a preseason All-SEC selection, made his season debut just as starting left guard Andrej Karic became inactive. That re-tooled the offensive line with Mays starting and Ollie Lane sliding from center to left guard.
Mays missed the first four games of the season after undergoing a hernia procedure in August.
On UT’s opening possession, Mays opened a hole for Wright to squeeze through and break a 42-yard TD run. Mays turned around and hugged Milton to celebrate the score on his first action of the season.
It started a trend of UT running through the middle that continued throughout the game.
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee football gets payback against South Carolina, Spencer Rattler
