# SEC Football: South Carolina Gamecocks Defeats Tennessee Volunteers 27-24

**Published:** 2026-10-24 — **By:** Stacy Stanfield
**Category:** games — **Type:** game-recap
**Source:** https://secscouts.com/news/sec-football-south-carolina-gamecocks-defeats-tennessee-volunteers-27-24

**Teams:** [South Carolina](https://secscouts.com/south-carolina/), [Tennessee](https://secscouts.com/tennessee/)


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COLUMBIA, S.C. (10/22/2026) — The South Carolina Gamecocks edged the Tennessee Volunteers 27-24 on Thursday night at Williams-Brice Stadium, winning a tight SEC battle in front of 79,193 fans who got a one-possession game that stayed in the balance throughout.

## How It Happened

This one came down to efficiency over volume. Tennessee controlled the clock, holding the ball for 34:12 to South Carolina's 25:48, and the Volunteers leaned on a ground game that churned out 184 rushing yards. Tennessee also converted six third downs and moved the chains 21 times, piecing together the kind of sustained drives that usually win games on the road.

South Carolina countered by making the most of its shorter windows. The Gamecocks finished with 344 total yards to Tennessee's 320, and the difference lived in the passing game — LaNorris Sellers accounted for 210 yards through the air against a Tennessee attack that managed just 136 passing yards on the night. Both offenses matched each other with 21 first downs apiece, and each side gave the ball away once, leaving the margin to be decided by which attack could finish drives in a three-point game.

Mazeo Bennett Jr. found the end zone for South Carolina, while Mike Matthews answered with a touchdown for Tennessee. Malik Orsan led all Gamecocks with nine points, production that proved decisive in a game settled by a single field goal's margin.

## Turning Point

With the box score this even — identical first-down totals, one turnover apiece — the game swung on South Carolina's ability to strike through the air. Tennessee's defense, which got a sack from Qua Moss, held up well against the pass for long stretches, but Sellers' 210-yard night gave the Gamecocks a dimension the Volunteers could not match. Tennessee completed 16 of 23 throws, an efficient clip, but the passing attack topped out at 136 yards, forcing the Volunteers to grind out yardage on the ground. When South Carolina needed chunk plays, the arm of Sellers delivered them; when Tennessee needed to answer, the field shrank.

Dylan Stewart's sack for South Carolina embodied the other half of that equation — the Gamecocks' defense made Tennessee earn everything, and in a game where the Volunteers won time of possession by more than eight minutes, holding them to 24 points was enough.

## Star of the Game

LaNorris Sellers takes the honor. His 210 yards powered every bit of South Carolina's passing attack and represented the clearest statistical edge either side held all night. In a game where the running battle was close — 184 rushing yards for Tennessee, 134 for South Carolina — Sellers' work through the air was the separator. Bennett's touchdown and Orsan's team-high nine points turned that yardage into the points that decided it.

For Tennessee, Jackson Ross was a bright spot with 173 yards, and Cooper Ranvier contributed six points, but the Volunteers' inability to stretch the field through the air left too much weight on the run game.

## What It Means

For South Carolina, this is the kind of win that builds a resume: a three-point decision over an SEC rival at home, earned despite losing the possession battle decisively. The Gamecocks proved they can win a game that doesn't follow their script, and the Sellers-to-Bennett connection gives the offense a backbone to build on down the stretch of the 2026 season. The defensive front, with Stewart disrupting the pocket, showed it can get stops when the margin is thin.

Tennessee leaves Columbia with a tough loss that will sting precisely because so much went right. The Volunteers ran the ball effectively, protected it reasonably well, converted third downs, and dominated time of possession — and still came up three points short. The 136-yard passing night is the number that will draw attention in the film room. If Tennessee can pair its ground game and ball control with a more productive passing attack, the pieces are there. For now, the Volunteers must regroup quickly, because in the 2026 SEC race, there is little room to absorb close conference losses.

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*Original article: [SEC Football: South Carolina Gamecocks Defeats Tennessee Volunteers 27-24](https://secscouts.com/news/sec-football-south-carolina-gamecocks-defeats-tennessee-volunteers-27-24) — SEC Scouts*