South Carolina stuns No. 11 Tennessee at the wire

Josh Heupel had the lead and a chance to run out the clock on fourth-and-1 late in the fourth quarter Saturday night. He sent the offense out to go for it instead. Read more: South Carolina stuns No. 11 Tennessee at the wire

South Carolina stopped quarterback George MacIntyre for a loss on the play. The Gamecocks turned that stop into a 27-24 win over No. 11 Tennessee at Williams-Brice Stadium, a week after the Vols had beaten Alabama. Tennessee finished with 12 penalties for 90 yards, and three Tennessee touchdowns came off the board because of them.

Tennessee had trailed 14-0 early before scoring 21 straight points to lead 21-17 at halftime, then pushed the margin to 24-17 in the fourth quarter. LaNorris Sellers answered with a four-yard touchdown run to tie it at 1:17 left, and South Carolina's defense finished the job soon after.

Related: Tennessee routs Alabama in Knoxville

Sellers answers every time

Sellers finished with 210 passing yards, 96 rushing yards and three total touchdowns, two of them on the ground. He had carried South Carolina's offense most of the night, and the fourth quarter was no different.

On Tennessee's next possession, Dylan Stewart sacked MacIntyre and knocked the ball loose. Tomiwa Durojaiye recovered it at the Tennessee 34-yard line with 33 seconds on the clock.

A false start backed the Gamecocks out of comfortable range, but Sellers moved the offense far enough for Malik Orsan to try a 48-yard field goal. It split the uprights as time expired.

"One of the great plays in the history of South Carolina football," coach Shane Beamer called Sellers' touchdown run afterward.

Related: Backup quarterback steers Tennessee past Arkansas

Penalties undo a big lead

Tennessee built its 24-17 edge despite the slow start, and the margin should have been bigger. A holding penalty wiped out a MacIntyre touchdown pass that would have made it a two-score game, one of three Tennessee scores erased by flags.

Beamer said defensive coordinator Travian Robertson predicted the finish on the headset during Tennessee's last series: "We're going to sack the quarterback. We're going to strip sack him." Stewart did exactly that.

South Carolina improved to 4-3 and 2-3 in the SEC. Tennessee dropped to 6-2 and 3-2 in the SEC, and the loss complicates a playoff push the Vols had built with a win over Alabama the week before. The Vols get a bye before hosting Kentucky on November 7, still chasing a spot in this year's field.

Tennessee had looked like a playoff team a week earlier, beating then-No. 6 Alabama 26-10 to climb into the rankings at No. 11. That form didn't carry over to Columbia, where the Vols have now won only twice in their last nine trips to Williams-Brice Stadium. Tennessee has four regular-season games left to make up the ground.

Orsan's 48-yard kick split the uprights as the clock hit zero.