COLUMBIA— South Carolina needed that. And that it came with a comeback to again deny Tennessee a College Football Playoff berth (perhaps) was icing on top of the icing last applied in 2022.

Nobody on either side has forgotten that game, and nobody on either side will forget Saturday, either. The dive into a 27-24 comeback win that had most everybody saying, “Huh?”

Mary Celeste

Studies need to be performed on just what it is that causes the Gamecocks to come out with their hair on fire, put up some early scores, then hand back the lead and momentum like it’s covered in axle grease. It’s so much of a carbon copy that the Naval Observatory master clock sets its hands by what time USC will start throwing away games.

Tennessee caught USC at its most vulnerable — when it had a double-digit lead early in the game. The Volunteers ground out a nine-minute drive, taking advantage of back-to-back foolish and inexcusable acts from Vicari Swain, and cut the lead to seven points. But no matter, USC was getting the ball back and had no problem moving against the Vols’ defense thus far.

Swing pass to Matt Fuller for minus-5. LaNorris Sellers was rushed, tried to step out of an attempted run and throw, never saw T.J. Metcalf camped beside his receiver and was intercepted.

At that point, USC had run 12 plays for 133 yards and two touchdowns. That “drive” began a stretch of seven that encompassed 43 plays for 131 yards and a field goal as Tennessee built a 24-17 lead.

Whether the Gamecocks are expecting it or just can’t handle it, the phenomenon has to be solved. USC can’t just not score to try and break it.

V for Vic-Sation

Swain may have been the happiest man in Columbia on Saturday, which is something considering somebody just won a gigantic stuffed aardvark by getting a ring around the neck of a glass bottle and Malik Orsan was going around saying, “That’s MAL-ick. Yes, I’d love your number!” Emotions run high, bad calls are made, he’s been a hero enough times that he could be excused.

He can be excused because USC won. Otherwise, goodness, his head was completely missing on Saturday.

Trading helmet-slaps with Mike Matthews got each a penalty that off-set. Swain treated this as a reason to do it again, on the very next play, when USC had forced a third-and-11, when it’s nearly no doubt that the referee who called it the first time would be watching him closely.

The Vols scored a touchdown.

Then Swain lit up Matthews on a catch near the sideline, which if he’d have raised his hands, would have been a nasty but clean hit. I thought Swain got him with his shoulder, but with no arms raised, that became launching himself at the receiver. 

Targeting. Ejected. And Matthews nearly won the game with Swain not covering him, and put USC’s thinnest position on display (shout-out to Damarcus Leach for playing very well in Swain’s stead, a week after doing the same for the injured Judge Collier).

Swain has made his name by being fearless on punt return, knowing when he should or should not touch the ball because it will be a free play, and played decently at corner. But especially after costing his team at least four points and knowing the officials would be keeping an eye on him?

Has to be smarter.

Hmmm

They won, and Kendal Briles was even in the middle of a post-game video with a student shouting, “I love you!” Obviously there was no problem with the first two drives, or the last two.

But in between?

USC built that 14-point lead with RPOs, Sellers’ legs, Sellers unloading quick, short passes as Tennessee was in man coverage. Then especially in the second half, the Gamecocks were sticking with the run, into the middle of a stacked defensive line. Couple that with Sellers regressing to not throwing the ball away and misfiring on some other throws — that missed pass to Donovan Murph in the end zone, I mean … what? — and it was becoming, “Maybe you should script some more plays. Like, all of them.”

And before that play, the drive for the field goal at the end of the first half, USC could have let the clock hit the two-minute timeout before snapping the ball and given Tennessee that less time to drive and score before halftime. Instead, the Gamecocks snapped it with about 10-15 seconds to spare and the play was stopped with 1:59 to go.

The Vols scored with 24 seconds left, so maybe it wouldn’t have mattered.

Then when the Gamecocks get a gift/make their own fortune by tying the game and then forcing a turnover, there are 33 seconds and Tennessee has one timeout. What would you do with a kicker who has made 50-yard field goals and the distance from there was 51? What would you not do under any circumstances, considering only three things happen when you pass the ball and two of them are bad?

Screen pass, incomplete. Bomb to D.J. Black in the end zone, incomplete. False start, now out of comfortable field-goal range.

Sellers ran for 9 and Orsan was money from 48 but …

Dude.

I’ve seen the future

Clearly an SEC playoff team will have at least one loss and probably multiple losses. Are the Gamecocks one of those? Maybe.

Just too soon to be talking about it. Handle business over the next three weeks and it’s doable, but still not likely.

Main thing, as Nuke LaLoosh said, “I love winning. Hear what I’m saying? It’s like better than losing?”

’Cause I’m petty, son

The Head Ball Coach would be proud. Nobody loved gigging Tennessee for its misfortunes more than Steve Spurrier. Clayton White, the school’s social media team and Beamer all piled on the Vols for their continued insistence that USC’s 2022 win over Tennessee was illegally obtained. 

And what does Tennessee do in 2026? Immediately reverts to same. The referee on Saturday, David Smith, played quarterback in the SEC. At Alabama.

The same Alabama that was sent home like a scalded dog last week by Tennessee, and has a blood oath against Tennessee.

So now that’s their cause. Along with pointing out that Beamer is no stranger to cheating, with that whole “WakeyLeaks” thing. Tennessee had three touchdowns called back on Saturday! There was holding on some of those key plays! Never mind that George MacIntyre had the game in his hands on two plays and got sacked on the first and the ball ripped from them on the second.

It’s like results are rigged against orange.

Who would believe such an impossible idea?