Tennessee tumbles in AP Top 25, Coaches Poll after loss at South Carolina
Tennessee’s 63-38 loss at South Carolina Saturday night sent the Vols tumbling four spots in the Associated Press Top 25 and six spots in the USA Today Coaches Poll.
Tennessee (9-2, 5-2 SEC) is now ranked No. 9 in the AP Top 25 and No. 11 in the Coaches Poll. The Vols end the regular-season schedule at Vanderbilt (5-6, 2-5) on Saturday in a 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time kickoff at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville. The game will be televised by SEC Network.
South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler completed 30 of 37 passes for 438 yards and six touchdowns while picking apart the Tennessee defense. The 63 points the Gamecocks scored were the most allowed by the Vols in the modern era.
Vols lose three players to injury in South Carolina loss
Hendon Hooker completed 25 of 42 passes for 247 yards and three touchdowns, running five times for 25 more yards, but left the game in the fourth quarter with a left leg, non-contact injury. Joe Milton III replaced Milton, completing 4 of 8 passes for 108 yards and a touchdown.
Jabari Small rushed 11 times for 80 yards and a touchdown to lead Tennessee on the ground. Cedric Tillman caught nine passes for 81 yards and two touchdowns.
The injury bug also bit Tennessee in the secondary, with Brandon Turnage leaving the game with an injury. Wide receiver Bru McCoy didn’t play in the second half while dealing with an undisclosed injury.
Tennessee redshirt senior linebacker Jeremy Banks did not make the trip with the Vols, with Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel saying after the game that he simply “wasn’t available for this one.”
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“Anticipating and hopeful for next week,” Heupel added.
Up Next: Tennessee at Vanderbilt, 7:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, SEC Network
The Vols lost out on their bid for a College Football Playoff semifinal berth with the loss. Still on the table are spots in New Year’s Six Bowl games, though, including the Orange Bowl and Cotton Bowl.
“For us, and this program, this one needs to hurt on the way back,” Heupel said. “It needs to hurt for guys that aren’t on this trip, that will be in our building tomorrow afternoon and will be there on Monday.
“For us to grow as a program, you’ve got to look at this opportunity and understand what happened. Let it hurt. And remember that as you move forward. Let it help you grow.”
Tennessee has won its last three games against Vanderbilt, but the ‘Dores are coming off of upset wins over Kentucky, on the road, and Florida, on Saturday in Nashville.
The Vols won 22 in a row in the Vanderbilt series between 1982 and 2004, before Vandy’s 28-24 win at Neyland Stadium in 2005. Tennessee responded six straight wins, before the ‘Dores won 41-18 in Nashville in 2012, leading to the firing of Dooley the following day.
