South Carolina stuns No. 11 Tennessee 27-24 on Malik Orsan's 48-yard field goal in the final seconds

South Carolina was down seven with under four minutes to play. It won anyway. LaNorris Sellers ran in the tying touchdown with 1:17 left, edge rusher Dylan Stewart stripped Tennessee quarterback George MacIntyre on the Vols’ final drive, and Malik Orsan hit a 48-yard field goal with two seconds left as South Carolina beat No. 11 Tennessee 27-24 on Saturday, Oct. 24, at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia.

The upset snapped a three-game SEC winning streak for Tennessee, which came in fresh off a 26-10 win over Alabama. The Vols fell to 6-2 and 3-2 in the SEC. South Carolina improved to 4-3 and 2-3.

The game details below come from ESPN’s play-by-play and box score. Postgame comments from the coaches were not yet available at publication.

How South Carolina pulled it off

Tennessee took a 24-17 lead on a 37-yard Cooper Ranvier field goal with 11:46 left, after a MacIntyre touchdown pass to Braylon Staley was wiped out by a holding penalty. The Vols then had a chance to put the game away. Starting at their own 2, they drove to the South Carolina 39 and ran more than four minutes off the clock, but MacIntyre was stopped for a 1-yard loss on fourth down with 3:35 left.

Sellers took over from there. A 22-yard scramble put South Carolina at the Tennessee 10, and two plays later Sellers ran in from 4 yards out to tie it 24-24.

Tennessee got the ball back with 1:17 left and moved toward midfield, helped by a pass-interference penalty, but a holding call wiped out a 17-yard Javin Gordon run. On the next play, Stewart sacked MacIntyre and forced a fumble that Tomiwa Durojaiye recovered at the Tennessee 34. Tennessee challenged the fumble ruling, and the call was upheld.

South Carolina was pushed back by a false start, Sellers ran for 9 yards to the Tennessee 30, and Orsan made the 48-yard kick.

Scoring summary

LaNorris Sellers led South Carolina football

Sellers accounted for all three South Carolina touchdowns. He completed 18 of 32 passes for 210 yards, with a touchdown and an interception, and led the Gamecocks with 96 rushing yards and two scores on 18 carries. Bennett caught six passes for 88 yards. Linebacker Fred Johnson had 14 tackles, and Orsan went 2 for 2 on field goals.

Coach Shane Beamer’s team came in at 3-3 after a 38-19 win at Florida two weeks earlier and an open date, according to Tennessee Athletics’ preview.

Tennessee: Bishop’s workload and costly flags

DeSean Bishop carried 32 times for 120 yards and a touchdown. He entered the game coming off a 159-yard, two-touchdown performance against Alabama and with midseason All-America recognition, per Tennessee Athletics. MacIntyre completed 16 of 23 passes for 136 yards without a touchdown pass, and Staley caught six passes for 56 yards.

Tennessee held the ball for 34:12 but was flagged 12 times for 90 yards, according to ESPN, including the two holding calls that erased a fourth-quarter touchdown and a late long run. Coach Josh Heupel’s team had won four straight road games dating to last season before Saturday.

What’s next

Tennessee has an open date on Oct. 31, according to the school. South Carolina’s next opponent was not confirmed in the sources used for this story.

FAQ