COLUMBIA, S.C. _ The South Carolina football team came off the field at halftime Saturday to a smattering of boos. Considering how the offense fared through most of the first 30 minutes, that wasn't totally surprising.
The Gamecocks got down but not out against Tennessee, the offense started to deliver after halftime, but it wasn't enough because of some defensive miscues and a curious decision.
The 31-27 loss was the second in a row to the Vols and the second in Will Muschamp's head coaching career. It's the second consecutive defeat in an opener and had some of the same raggedness of last season's loss to UNC.
The game's most curious moment came when South Carolina (0-1, 0-1 SEC) eschewed going for a fourth-and-12 to kick a field goal to make it a 31-27 game with under 3 { minutes left. The Gamecocks never got the ball back after a punt hit a Gamecocks gunner and UT (1-0, 1-0 SEC) recovered.
South Carolina rallied from down 21-7 to tie it at 21-21 and later 24-24.
It wasn't perfect or clean. There was the first half pick six. There were moments where the offensive line looked porous as tissue paper. But after years of Gamecocks fans reflexively lamenting a perceived lack of second-half adjustments, the South Carolina offense was there to play after halftime.
But the defense had some issues. After it was tied 24-24, Tennessee marched 75 yards in four plays, ending with a 32-yard pass to put South Carolina down with less than 10 minutes left. Star corner Israel Mukuamu was on the sideline the whole drive and his backup, Cam Smith, gave up the score.
Things got dicey when the Volunteers went up-tempo to start the second half, going 74 yards in just more than 2 { minutes to extend a seven-point lead to 14 and put the Gamecocks in a hole.
South Carolina's offense started with some spark, marching 75 yards on the first possession and looking like the scheme Gamecocks fans hoped to see with another offensive coordinator change. But then they went scoreless on the next six possessions, finishing the half at 3.29 yards per play.
