You may have a hard time believing this scoreline from Saturday, but Tennessee got absolutely trucked on the road by South Carolina, 63–38. The Gamecocks got the performance of their dreams from quarterback Spencer Rattler, who shook off an overall poor performance this season and looked just like the Oklahoma version of himself in passing for 438 yards and six touchdowns.
There were no turnovers, but mostly clean pockets and good decision making, as Tennessee couldn’t generate much pass rush while its secondary got shredded. The Gamecocks scored so much during the game, they ran out of stadium fireworks by the end of it.
This is why South Carolina brought in Rattler—it was just the expectation that he would have had more of these performances throughout the year. It has taken a while, but how sweet it must be for coach Shane Beamer and his staff, who are vindicated with a huge victory against a College Football Playoff contender—a win that can change the trajectory of a Gamecocks program that is typically, “Woe is us.” Beamer is trying to change the culture of a team and fan base that is used to playing second fiddle in their state and division.
