Vols lose heartbreaker to South Carolina

South Carolina running back A.J. Turner (25) breaks out of a tackle from Tennessee linebacker Quart'e Sapp (14) at Neyland Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 14, in Knoxville, Tenn.
South Carolina running back A.J. Turner (25) breaks out of a tackle from Tennessee linebacker Quart'e Sapp (14) at Neyland Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 14, in Knoxville, Tenn.

KNOXVILLE - For a quarter, it appeared that a bye week and quarterback change had infused fresh life into a struggling Tennessee football team.

The next three quarters revealed many of the same old flaws and brought the same old heartbreak for Tennessee fans.

A Jarrett Guarantano pass fell incomplete in the end zone as time expired, and South Carolina escaped Neyland Stadium with a 15-9 win, casting the Butch Jones era into further scrutiny.

Tennessee's offense accumulated 133 yards in the first quarter but only 120 for the rest of the game, and 73 of those came on a final drive that the Gamecocks stopped two yards short of a touchdown at the game's end.

The Vols (3-3, 0-3 Southeastern Conference) play at No. 1 Alabama next week.

This is a developing story. Check timesfreepress.com and Sunday's Times Free Press for more coverage.

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