USC’s upset win over No. 5 Vols a ‘dream’ fulfilled for the Gamecocks

Several of South Carolina’s seniors shared a dream ahead of their Saturday night game against No. 5 Tennessee.

That dream involved the crowd storming the field in Williams-Brice Stadium and the Gamecocks celebrating with their fans after an upset win over the Volunteers.

“I don’t know what God was trying to tell me, but I literally had a dream Tuesday night,” Josh Vann said.

Head coach Shane Beamer recounted a similar prophecy as told by seniors Eric Douglas and Brad Johnson — visions of a victory and the goalposts coming down.

South Carolina’s dreams were fulfilled with a 63-38 win against Tennessee. Gamecock fans inside a sold-out Williams-Brice Stadium rushed the field in droves, with people leaking down onto the field well after the game ended.

Fans who made their way onto the turf eventually lined up Gamecock Walk-style, creating a human tunnel for the players to walk through on their way to the locker room.

The players took selfie after selfie with fans on the field, and the hallways of the main concourse filled with “Game! Cocks!” chants.

“That was the craziest thing ever,” quarterback Spencer Rattler said. “I’ve never been a part of that.”

Beamer teased reporters for their pregame predictions that overwhelmingly favored the Volunteers, but said he understood the reasons for doubt. The team managed just six points against Florida the week before, points that came by way of a fake punt.

But Beamer and the Gamecocks (7-4, 4-4 SEC) felt good about the nationally televised matchup all week during practice, and they played Saturday’s game like a team that was sure of itself.

South Carolina took control from the game’s onset, doing so on the offensive end. Many of the team’s big starts this year came from special teams play or by the defense forcing a turnover.

But USC a put points on the board first Saturday with a Rattler touchdown pass to Jaheim Bell, the first of a career-high six touchdown throws for the redshirt junior. And the Gamecocks found the endzone on their ensuing four possessions.

“That was probably the best I’ve ever felt in a game,” Rattler said. “We felt truly unstoppable.”

The Gamecocks pulled out all the stops on offense. Rattler caught a pass, Antwane Wells ran for a touchdown, Dakereon Joyner often lined up at quarterback and Jaheim Bell spent time all over the field.

USC had several players record eye-popping numbers during the game, including Wells’ 177 receiving yards, Bell’s 121 yards of total offense, Rattler’s 438 passing yards and Vann’s 60-yard touchdown catch.

Offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield — who’s been under heavy scrutiny this season — designed a game plan that kept the Volunteers behind on the scoreboard for most of the game.

“Our whole mindset going into this game was ‘attack,’” Beamer said. “You weren’t going to win this football game punting on fourth down and not being aggressive.”

Tennessee entered the game in pursuit of a spot in the College Football Playoff, and all four teams ranked ahead of it won on Saturday. Many analysts predicted that the Volunteers were in a position to win out and find a way into the CFP Top 4.

But South Carolina wasn’t concerned with the Volunteers’ hopes.

“We don’t ever worry about statistics, numbers, polls,” running back JuJu McDowell said on Tuesday. “We don’t care about that.”

The win over Tennessee was the program’s first since 2018 and its first against a Top 5 team since beating No. 3 Georgia in 2019.

South Carolina defeated a ranked Kentucky team devoid of its starting quarterback earlier this year. But on Saturday, it took on the challenge of facing Heisman Trophy hopeful Hendon Hooker and Tennessee’s high-powered offense.

The 63 points USC posted were the most by an unranked team against a Top 5 opponent since The Associated Press poll began, according to ESPN.

“A lot of people didn’t expect us to come out with a dub, but we did that tonight,” Bell said.

Fans in Williams-Brice Stadium mostly cleared out by halftime of South Carolina’s brutal Week 3 loss to Georgia. But in the home finale, and the team’s Senior Day, the Gamecocks put up their best outing of the season.

For Vann, Douglas and the 19 other seniors that were honored on Saturday, it was a dream fulfilled.

“What a way to go out, right?” Joyner said.