University of Tennessee Athletics
Five Things To Know: The Win Over South Carolina
October 01, 2023 | Football
No. 21/19 Tennessee (4-1, 1-1) secured its first conference win of the season in front of 101,915 fans in a sold-out Neyland Stadium, defeating South Carolina 41-20 Saturday night.
The victory extended the Vols' home win streak to 12 to continue their month-long home stand with a tone-setting, SEC win. Here are five things to know from Saturday's win:Â
1. Running The Game
The Vols ranked eighth nationally in rushing offense headed into Saturday night, averaging 229.5 rushing yards per game. Against the Gamecocks, Tennessee continued its explosive play on the ground, with the dominant backfield rushing for a combined total of 238 rushing yards.Â
Jaylen Wright led the charge, picking up right where the Vols left off against UTSA. On Tennessee's opening drive, the junior running back brought the ball to the checkerboards for a 42-yard touchdown and his first score of the season. Wright's game-high 123 rushing yards on 16 carries marked his third 100-yard game of the season and the fifth of his career.Â
Jabari Small made it two scores for the Vols on the ground, bringing the ball into the endzone for a 2-yard touchdown on top of his total of 59 yards on the night. Small's first quarter scoring drive marked his second of the season and the 24th of his career, making him a single rushing score away from breaking into Tennessee's top 10 career rushing touchdown scorers in program history.
Dylan Sampson continued his tear for the Volunteer offense after a career performance last week against UTSA. Sampson dove into the endzone at the end of the fourth quarter for six more. With Sampson's addition to the score, Tennessee's "three-headed monster" of running backs each scored a touchdown for UT in the same game for the fourth time since 2022.
2. Heupel At Home
Josh Heupel helped Tennessee improve its all-time record to 871-411-53 with Saturday's victory. Heupel noted his 50th career win as a head coach over the Gamecocks.
Finishing the first quarter with a 14-10 lead, Tennessee has now outscored opponents 376-241 in the opening frame in the Josh Heupel era (45-19 thus far in the 2023 season). UT moved to 15-2 at home under Josh Heupel, having won 12 consecutive games in Neyland Stadium, a streak that dates back to Nov. 20, 2021 vs. South Alabama.
Saturday marked Tennessee's first home night game of the 2023 season. During Heupel's tenure as head coach, Tennessee is 6-1 in night games at Neyland, including five consecutive victories under the lights of its home venue.
The Vols' 41 points marks the 59th time a Josh Heupel-led team has recorded 30 or more points (33 at UCF, 22 at Tennessee). Tennessee's SEC home opening win marked its fourth straight, with a 3-0 SEC record under Josh Heupel.
3. Defensive Unit
Tennessee's defensive unit put up an impressive stand against the Gamecock offense led by South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler who ranked top-10 nationally in passing yards heading into competition. The Vols' pressure held Rattler to 169 yards through the air and the South Carolina team to 333 yards of total offense. Rattler did not complete a passing touchdown during the competition.
Sophomore Elijah Herring led the Big Orange with six total tackles, while Walker Wesley and Jaylen McCollough tallied five tackles each on the night. Five different Vols recorded a sack, including two from James Pearce Jr. for his second multi-sack effort of the season. The Vols kept the Gamecocks to 2-for-14 on third downs and finished the game with eight tackles for loss.
Individual defensive milestones were achieved on Shields-Watkins Field, with senior linebacker Aaron Beasley capturing his 200th career tackle in the first quarter.Â
A momentum-shifting second quarter demonstrated the Vols defensive lockdown. The stand consisted of three three-and-outs and a pick-six at the hands of defensive back Kamal Hadden.Â
Hadden intercepted the ball at the 28 yard line, running it into the checkerboards to give the Vols a 24-10 lead going into the second half. The pick-six was the first for the Volunteers since Theo Jackson on Nov. 27, 2021 against Vanderbilt.
4. Offensive Weapons
It took just three minutes for Tennessee to get on the scoreboard when Jaylen Wright ran 42 yards into the endzone, and a minute to get another six points. Moving at a pace of 2.9 plays per minute headed into the night, the fastest in the FBS, Tennessee kept up its reputation for a high velocity and high powered offense.Â
The Vols piled up a total of 477 yards against the Gamecocks, with an offensive efficiency showing the Big Orange going 5-5 in the red zone, 7-15 on third downs and each of UT's four touchdowns being scored by different players.Â
Joe Milton's 50-yard connection to sophomore wideout Squirrel White (which ultimately led to Jabari Small's 2-yard rushing touchdown) marked Tennessee's second-longest pass play of the season.
5. Neyland At Night
Saturday's contest was the Vols' first night game in Neyland in the 2023 season, and a highly anticipated one. The Volunteers ran through the TÂ suited up in their 'Dark Mode' alternate uniforms. Tennessee first donned black jerseys for the Vols' 31-19 victory over the Gamecocks on Halloween night in 2009. With Saturday's win over South Carolina, Tennessee moves to a 4-1 record when wearing black jersey tops.
Saturday, the Vols were back in black and were accompanied by many black-out outfits in the crowd. A roaring fanbase made their presence known for the duration of the competition, an effort that head coach Josh Heupel emphasized the importance of in his Monday press conference.Â
"Home field advantage matters," Heupel said. "We need energy and momentum. We need to make it extremely difficult for them to communicate. For us, our fans need to be a huge part of this football game.
"They have been every Saturday that I have been here. I can't wait. I expect there to be a lot more boats tied up on the river this week, and I expect the Vol Walk to be electric. I cannot wait for the noise and the energy inside of the stadium."
With Heupel acknowledging the impact Vol Nation can have in big matchups like this, letting the Tennessee fans know the role they can play, the response was resounding and confirming.Â
The fanfare extended beyond the stands, with VFLs returning to Shields-Watkins Field to greet the Tennessee faithful. Appearances included Tennessee's 2022 starting quarterback and SEC Offensive Player of the Year, Hendon Hooker, as well as a visit from the VFLs of the 1998 national championship team for Tennessee Athletics' second annual Champions Weekend.
Following Tennessee's bye week, the Vols will return home to Neyland Stadium on Oct. 14 to face Texas A&M.
