Jonathan Crompton threw two touchdowns and
Montario Hardesty scored twice via the ground, as Tennessee rebounded from
last week's heartbreaking setback to Alabama with a 31-13 victory over 21st-
ranked South Carolina.
Tennessee had a last-second field goal blocked that could have defeated the
Crimson Tide.
Crompton finished with 142 yards on 12-of-24 efficiency, while Hardesty rushed
for 121 yards on 23 carries for the Volunteers (4-4, 2-3 SEC), who took
advantage of four South Carolina turnovers to win for the second time in three
games.
"You get four turnovers on defense and give up none on offense, you're going
to win a lot of games," said Tennessee head coach Lane Kiffin. "It was good to
have a game like that for our players to see because we talk about it all the
time. We give them percentages on when you win the turnover margin. At plus-
four, you always win. It's a great lesson for our guys to see that when you do
that the other stuff doesn't really matter. You can play sloppy, complete 50
percent of balls and get a few penalties and still win."
Stephen Garcia completed half of his 50 pass attempts for 300 yards with a
touchdown and an interception for the Gamecocks (6-3, 3-3), who are 1-14 all-
time at Neyland Stadium.
Tennessee capitalized quickly on a pair of fumble recoveries to grab an early
lead.
South Carolina turned the ball over three plays into the game's opening drive.
With the Gamecocks facing a 3rd-and-8 from their own 29, the Vols came with
the blitz, but Garcia found a wide-open Justice Cunningham for a 14-yard
completion. Cunningham failed to secure the ball following a huge hit,
however, and Tennessee recovered.
Two plays later, Crompton connected with Austin Johnson down the middle of the
field for a 38-yard touchdown.
Kenny Miles coughed the ball up on the ensuing series for South Carolina, and
Hardesty's 14-yard touchdown run gave Tennessee a 14-0 cushion four minutes
into the contest.
"We had two fumbles in five plays and it's hard to beat a team when you spot
them those points," said South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier.
Poor ball security continued to plague the Gamecocks as Garcia lost the handle
in his own territory. Once again, an opportunistic Tennessee offense
transformed the turnover and positive field position into points, with
Crompton floating a two-yard TD pass to Kevin Cooper in the early stages of
the second quarter.
Spencer Lanning kicked a 47-yard field goal to put South Carolina on the board
at the end of the first half. Lanning converted from 32 yards out to trim
Tennessee's lead to 21-6 with 6:40 to play in the third quarter.
After Hardesty rumbled for a seven-yard score with 3:25 remaining, Moe Brown
hauled in a 31-yard touchdown pass from Garcia less than two minutes later to
cap a three-play, 77-yard drive.
Chad Cunningham drilled a 39-yard field goal in the final frame on the heels
of a Garcia interception to account for the final margin.
Game Notes
The Vols own a commanding 22-4-2 advantage in the all-time series...South
Carolina was limited to 65 rushing yards on 20 attempts...The Gamecocks play
their final road game of the season next Saturday against Arkansas, while
Tennessee hosts Memphis.
©2009 Sports Network. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
