KNOXVILLE – Tennessee linebacker Darrell Taylor said Saturday night that a day earlier Volunteers defensive coaches had made the seniors stand up and say what the South Carolina game meant to them.
“We just said that it meant a lot to us and all these games against Carolina recently have been close, down-to-the-wire losses,” Taylor said. “And tonight we went out there and owned it, did everything we were supposed to do to make sure we were going to win this game.”
The past three seasons, the Gamecocks had taken one-possession victories: 27-24 in 2018, 15-9 in 2017 and 24-21 in 2016.
“Honestly, we were tired of losing to South Carolina,” safety Nigel Warrior said.
Led by Taylor, Warrior and other members of the senior class, that resolve showed in the effort as the Vols beat South Carolina 41-21 at Neyland Stadium. The seniors weren’t the only players who contributed for Tennessee (3-5, 2-3 Southeastern Conference), but they stood out most.