Oh, what a night! South Carolina stuns No. 5 Tennessee in Williams-Brice shootout

Quarterback Spencer Rattler stood along the 25-yard line and pointed toward the sky.

As Dakereon Joyner plunged into the north end zone for South Carolina’s eighth touchdown of the night, converting the avalanche of white towels in the USC student section into a blizzard, South Carolina’s maligned, gun-slinging signal-caller could only glance skyward.

Call it divine intervention. Perhaps a prayer answered. Whatever it may have been, consider the lingering bad juju or chicken curses existing around Williams-Brice Stadium of years past exorcised.

South Carolina 63, No. 5 Tennessee 38.

“I can’t even explain the feeling we all have right now,” Rattler said, exasperated from escaping a sea of bodies that coated the field postgame. “This was a game we thought we could win.”

On a night showcasing college football’s most dominant offense this side of Joe Burrow, it was the Gamecocks’ previously anemic unit anchored by its tattoo-sleeved, dime-throwing quarterback that slayed Heisman front-runner Hendon Hooker and the visiting Volunteers.

The South Carolina offense that mustered just 37 yards in the first quarter of last week’s romp at Florida flipped from a Ford Pinto to a Lamborghini Murciélago in a matter of seven days.

Rattler served as the conductor for the Gamecocks’ suddenly masterful bunch, completing 15 of 20 passes for 264 yards and four touchdowns in the first half alone as the Gamecocks (7-4, 4-4 SEC) rolled up 606 yards of offense on the night.

The former Oklahoma signal-caller looked the part of the Heisman hopeful he was during his days patrolling the backfield in Norman, connecting on touchdown passes of 11, 18, 19 and 60 yards in the opening 30 minutes. He finished the night with a school-record six scoring throws.

“That was probably the best I’ve ever felt in a game, just feeling unstoppable with my with my guys out there,” Rattler said. “I mean, we felt truly unstoppable.”

South Carolina rocketed out of the gate, orchestrating a nine-play, 75-yard drive that included a pair of third down conversions and a fourth-and-6 connection between Rattler and Antwane “Juice” Wells — who paced the Gamecocks with 177 yards on 11 catches. Rattler capped off the opening possession with an 18-yard pitch and catch out into the left flat to Jaheim Bell, where South Carolina’s offensive Swiss army knife bowled over a pair of Tennessee defenders and into the end zone.

The one-time Sooner whose name will now be etched in Gamecocks lore followed with scoring connections to Josh Vann (twice) and Juju McDowell in the first two quarters, sending South Carolina into the half on top of Rocky Top 35-24.

“Spencer is a talented guy, right?” Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel said. “At times, when he had gotten hot, he plays hot. And he was.”

As the Volunteers (9-2, 5-2) desperately clawed back, Rattler and Gamecocks offense delivered haymaker after haymaker in fighting off the nation’s fifth-best team.

Cornerback Cam Smith largely locked up ex-Dutch Fork receiver and all-world playmaker Jalin Hyatt, who finished the night with a meager six catches for 65 yards.

Both Smith and Hyatt jawed at one another throughout the night. How much of it came from either party?

“Man, there’s not much trash talk when it’s only going one way,” Smith said, a wry smile gracing his face.

Wells started the latter portion of South Carolina’s offensive fireworks — which quite literally forced the stadium to run out of pyrotechnics — taking an end-around three yards for a touchdown .

Then, as he did all night, Rattler delivered the dramatics as only a magician of his stature can.

Dancing to his right, Rattler hit an orange and white wall of Volunteer defenders. Flipping fields and darting back to his left, he scampered to the opposite side of the broken formation and flipped what functionally evolved into the game-ending 2-yard touchdown pass to Jaheim Bell.

The Gamecocks would go on to two more scores on the night — the Joyner touchdown plunge and a 20-yard pitch and catch from Rattler to Jalen Brooks — but it was the mad scramble connection between Rattler and Bell that put the Volunteers on ice.

“Y’all’s predictions for this game were about the worst I’ve ever seen,” South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer quipped postgame with reporters. “I read some of them in the hotel today, what y’all picked, and y’all couldn’t have been more off.”

Beamer launched into a diatribe during his Tuesday press conference that it was time South Carolina fans look past superstitions and curses. That, in Columbia, folks shouldn’t expect bad things to happen — despite nearly 120 years of history to the contrary.

As the clock struck zero and fans clamored over the hedges onto the playing surface to celebrate with their squad, the doom and gloom of a dismal effort in Gainesville dissipated.

At 10:57 p.m. Saturday, Beamer, South Carolina and a stadium overflowing with garnet and white found only joy.

First down

South Carolina’s 35 points in the first half were its most in a half against SEC competition since 1995. USC defeated Vanderbilt 52-14 in that contest.

The Gamecocks also set a high for first quarter points (21) under Shane Beamer on Saturday. The previous high (18) came in South Carolina’s win over North Carolina in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.

Key Stats

4 — Spencer Rattler threw four touchdown passes in the first half

606 — South Carolina’s total offensive yardage output in Saturday’s win

2019 — the last time South Carolina beat a team ranked in the top five of the Associated Press Top 25

Next South Carolina game

Who: South Carolina at Clemson

When: Noon, Saturday, Nov. 26

Where: Memorial Stadium, Clemson

TV: ABC