Clowney’s sack, Hampton’s pick cement 38-35 victory over UT
With less than two minutes left in the fourth quarter, things finally started to go right for the South Carolina defense.
A timely strip sack and interception sealed the Gamecocks’ 38-35 win over Tennessee in a game where the offenses had done much of the heavy-lifting.
USC was hanging onto a three-point lead, but the Volunteers were at the Gamecock 19-yard line. The defense had struggled all day to stop Tennessee’s passing game, allowing 368 passing yards to UT quarterback Tyler Bray.
But sophomore defensive end Jadeveon Clowney stepped up when it mattered most. Clowney’s sack of UT quarterback Tyler Bray forced a fumble and saved South Carolina from a potential Tennessee comeback.
“Jadeveon Clowney wins the game for us,” USC coach Steve Spurrier said. “(Defensive coordinator) Lorenzo Ward and I had the same idea about the middle of the fourth quarter: let him rush from the inside. Sure enough, we put him on the inside, where [Tennessee’s] back did not double on him ... That (play) was the key to the ball game.”
The Volunteers had a back helping to block Clowney for most of the game, but on that play, only the lineman stood between him and Bray. When asked about his motivation to make a big play, he said he wanted to step up for the team, especially teammate Marcus Lattimore, who left the game with 4:45 left in the second quarter with a knee injury.
“The coaches were telling us on the sideline, ‘We have to make something happen right here,’” Clowney said. “I was like, ‘Coach, I got you.’ So I went out there and gave it everything I got.”
South Carolina’s offense went three-and-out on the ensuing drive, but a 51-yard punt and a loss of eight yards on the return gave Tennessee a 1st and 10 on its own 16-yard line. Two plays later, redshirt sophomore cornerback Victor Hampton intercepted a pass attempt by Bray to seal the victory.
“We knew that the game was in our hands,” Hampton said. “We just had to make a big play or a big stop, and we did.”
The Gamecocks’ victory was an offensive shootout, as the teams traded touchdowns through the first three quarters of the game. Junior quarterback Connor Shaw finished the game with a career-high 356 passing yards. The junior credited the offensive line for protecting well and opening up passing lanes.
Two USC players finished the game with over 100 yards. Senior tight end Justice Cunningham had six catches for 108 yards. Sophomore wide receiver Bruce Ellington added six receptions for 101 yards, including a 33-yard catch for the Gamecocks’ first touchdown.
South Carolina led 35-21 at the end of three quarters, but on the first play of the fourth quarter, Tennessee wide receiver Alton Howard threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to tight end Mychal Rivera to reduce the Gamecock lead.
After a 16-yard return by Ellington, USC drove to the 7-yard line but failed to advance the ball in two tries. On third down, Shaw was sacked for a loss of 12 yards, forcing the Gamecocks to settle for a field goal.
Tennessee needed just four plays to score a touchdown on its next scoring drive, capped by a 22-yard pass from Bray to wide receiver Zach Rogers.
USC’s next drive ended in Shaw’s interception. Despite the dominance of the offense throughout the afternoon, it was the defense that sealed the Gamecocks’ win.
“We rose to the occasion,” Ward said. “The bottom line is how you finish. We didn’t play as well as we would like to play, by no means, but we finished strong.”