Tennessee-South Carolina matchup score: Spencer Ruttler explodes in upset, knocking No. 5 volumes out of the playoff race

No. 5 Tennessee dropped out of the college football race after losing a shock, 63-38, on the road against South Carolina. The Gamecocks scored nine of their ten complete possessions against the Volunteers for the biggest win in game history, a 24-0 win over South Carolina from 1903.

The Gamecocks were without Marshawn Lloyd’s lead in running backs and came in after a startlingly poor effort last week in a 38-6 loss in Florida. However, South Carolina set the tone early by jumpstarting the Volunteers 21-7 in the first quarter. Fought Spencer Rattler connected on touchdown passes of 60, 19 and 11 yards and was slammed by a fragile Tennessee defensive unit.

Rattler was shaky in his first season at South Carolina, tallying eight touchdowns and nine interceptions, but showed the arm talent that made him one of the best quarterback recruits over the past five years. The Oklahoma transfer threw for 438 yards and the program scored six touchdowns to destroy the Vols defense. Wide receiver Antoine Wells Jr. led the way with 11 catches for 177 yards, while Jaheim Bell and Josh Vann each had two touchdowns.

Tennessee QB Hendon Hooker fought back, but Foles struggled to keep up with the Gamecocks’ scoring barrage. The Volunteers went on a 24-14 run through the middle two quarters, but South Carolina came back in the end zone behind on a 9-play, 65-yard drive to go up 42-31. Hooker threw for 247 yards and three touchdowns, but fell after the Gamecocks score of Serious injury to the left knee. With Hooker out, South Carolina went on a 21-0 run to end the game and pull off a massive upset.

Backup quarterback Joe Milton III entered the game and threw for 108 yards and a touchdown, but Rattler kicked a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter alone. Melton’s touchdown came to Cedric Tillman with only 1:14 remaining.

The loss officially knocked Tennessee out of the College Football Playoff picture with only a game remaining against Vanderbilt. The Vols overseas were looking at #5 in the CFP rankings, possibly jumping into the top four after next week’s battle between #2 Ohio State and #3 Michigan State. However, two losses and the inability to capture a key data point in the conference championship game makes the path nearly impossible. Tennessee coach Josh Hubbell said Hooker will undergo further evaluation when the team returns to Knoxville.

The South Carolina win clinched a second straight winning season for Shane Beamer as the Gamecocks moved to 7-4 on the campaign. The program has only reached this milestone once since Steve Spurrier retired in 2015.