University of Tennessee Athletics
#FridayFlashback: Vols Win In OT
October 31, 2014 | Football
By Brian Rice
UTSports.com
There was one big question in the air as Tennessee welcomed South Carolina to Neyland Stadium on a late September evening.
A week earlier, the Volunteers had pulled off their second win in as many tries at Florida Field. Would UT be able to carry that momentum into a meeting with a talented Gamecock team or would there be a hangover from the big win?
Any worry about Tennessee's mindset looked to be unfounded early on. The Vol defense forced a three-and-out on South Carolina's opening drive without surrendering a yard. Marvin Mitchell burst through the line to block the ensuing punt and Derrick Tinsley recovered it at the USC 10. Two plays later, Casey Clausen hit C.J. Fayton for a 9-yard touchdown.
But South Carolina bounced right back. After the fruitless opening drive, the Gamecocks responded with a 10-play, 72-yard drive to tie the game at 7-7. The drive was aided by three plays of 14 yards of longer and a key pass interference call on a third down at the UT 10 that set up first-and-goal for the Gamecocks. Daccus Turman's punched it in from a yard out on his third carry of the drive for the tying TD.
Casey Clausen responded by engineering a seven-play drive to retake the lead. The senior completed three passes on the drive for 56 yards to set up Cedric Houston's 3-yard TD run to put Tennessee back up by a score.
South Carolina continued to match Tennessee punch-by-punch as a first quarter that seemed to last for an eternity neared an end. Gamecock freshman running back Demetris Summers set up USC at the 1-yard line with a 36-yard run. Thurman was denied on back-to-back runs on the final two plays of the first quarter and again on the opening play of the second period. USC elected to go for it on fourth down and put it in the air as Dondrial Pinkins found Hart Turner to once again knot the score at 14-14.
Things calmed down from there. More accurately, they ground to a near halt. Each team would punt twice before Clausen's arm and Houston's legs drove Tennessee into the Red Zone. Carolina held strong there and forced a James Wilhoit field goal that put UT back on top, 17-14.
The MVP of the second half was Dustin Colquitt. The junior seven punts, five of those in the second half, for an average of 51.7 yards, four of those landing inside the 20. One punt traveled 63 yards, bounced and rolled out of bounds at the 2.
Daniel Weaver hit a 37-yard field goal with 5:15 left in the third quarter to tie the game up at 17-17. The score would stay that way through the end of regulation, farcing the first overtime game in the series between the two schools.
The Tennessee defense rebounded from a pass interference call to hold Carolina to a field goal on its first possession of overtime.
The Volunteers gave the ball to Houston on four straight plays to start their overtime possession, coving 21 yards. Facing third down at the 3-yard line, head coach Phillip Fulmer put the ball in the hands of his senior quarterback, who found the hands of a sophomore wide receiver.
"I looked over at James (Banks) and told him I was coming to him," Clausen said. "Big players make big plays, and it was a big win for us."
Banks saw the opportunity for the game-winner coming and made the play when it did.
"We had certain formations we thought we could take advantage of against them," he said. "When we got into that overtime and they kicked that field goal, my teammates came over to me and told me that we're not going into another overtime. We're going to win this game with six points. Cedric Houston ran the ball great to get us down there. And because he was running the ball so well, I came over and told Casey that I was (being covered) one-on-one. I just told him to throw me the ball, and he looked at me and said, `Here it comes.' I just thank God that I caught it"
