Spencer Rattler on Tennessee’s win over South Carolina: ‘It was like their Super Bowl’

Saturday night’s game against Tennessee wasn’t just any other game, according to South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler. His claim after the game was that it was the biggest game of the season for the Vols.

“That was our first test where they kind of matched how we’ve been playing,” Rattler said after the game, “credit to them, they did a great job. It was like their Super Bowl tonight and they did a great job.”

Rattler completed 24 of 35 passes for 169 yards and an interception in the 41-20 loss to Tennessee at Neyland Stadium. He rushed 11 times for 19 yards and was sacked six times. 

Last season, in South Carolina’s 63-38 win at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, Rattler completed 30 of 37 passes for 438 yards and six touchdowns as the Gamecocks dashed any hopes the Vols had of a berth in the four-team College Football Playoff field. 

Saturday night, Tennessee defensive back Kamal Hadden picked off Rattler late in the first half and returned it 28 yards for a touchdown to give the Vols a 24-10 lead. It never got closer than a two-score game in the second half.

“There’s a few short fourth downs that I thought we could have converted,” Rattler said during his postgame press conference. “That hurt us. Obviously the pick hurt us. We just didn’t find a rhythm all night and I think that was it. 

“We came out, did some good things. We just couldn’t find a rhythm. We’ve got to clean up. We’re 2-3 right now, but it doesn’t feel like 2-3. Offensively we’ve been playing really well.”

Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton III was 21-for-32 for 239 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. The Vols rushed 40 times as a team for 238 yards and three touchdowns, led by Jaylen Wright’s 16 attempts for 123 yards. 

Jabari Small had 11 carries for 59 yards and Dylan Sampson had nine carries for 49 yards. All three running backs had one rushing touchdown each.

Squirrel White led Tennessee in receiving against the Gamecocks, catching nine passes on nine targets for 104 yards, including 35 yards after contact. Tight end Jacob Warren caught three passes for 26 yards and a touchdown.

In the days leading up to the game, Josh Heupel said last season’s game had nothing to do with Saturday night’s game, this Tennessee football team or this season. 

After the win, he admitted his team took the 63-38 loss “personally.”

“I think everybody took it personally, you know what I mean?” Heupel said during his postgame press conference. “As an entire program, our fans did too. But certainly on the defensive side of the ball too. Wesley (Walker) close to a pick on one had multiple bat downs. Our ability to get off the football field early in the football game was critical.”

South Carolina (2-3, 1-2 SEC) finds itself under .500 after losses to North Carolina, No. 1 Georgia and Tennessee through the first five games of the season. 

Tennessee (4-1, 1-1) is off next week before hosting Texas A&M (4-1, 2-0) on October 14 at Neyland Stadium.

Heupel said Saturday night that what happened against South Carolina last season didn’t make the win over the Gamecocks any sweeter this time around.

“I wouldn’t say that,” he said. “This is good football team. This was the next step in our journey. It was important for us to go play really good football tonight. This doesn’t do anything with last year, it just doesn’t. 

“But for our football team, this program, tonight was the next step in this ‘23 journey. I thought guys prepared the right way, practiced hard, and came out and played good football. Not perfect, but good football.”