The Vols won an absolute thriller against the South Carolina Gamecocks on Saturday night.
Tennessee trailed by 14 in the fourth quarter, before sophomore quarterback Josh Dobbs engineered a historic comeback that led to a 45-42 win for the Vols in overtime.
Dobbs put in one of the best single game performances by a Vol quarterback that you’ll ever see. Dobbs threw for 304 yards and two touchdowns, while also carrying the ball 24 times for 166 yards and three touchdowns.
True freshman running back Jalen Hurd added 122 yards on 22 carries.
It looked like Tennessee was dead in the water after Dobbs threw a late interception. South Carolina capitalized on the turnover with a 70 yard Brandon Wilds touchdown run.
But the Vols fought back. Tennessee drove down the field and Jalen Hurd scored on a screen pass in a fourth down situation.
The Vols failed to recover the onside kick, but they were able to force a South Carolina three and out. Tennessee got the ball back with a little over a minute to go.
Josh Dobbs then put together the Vols’ best drive of the season, which culminated with a Jason Croom touchdown reception to tie the game up and force overtime.
Tennessee had the misfortune of getting the ball first and had to settle for an Aaron Medley field goal.
But it didn’t matter. The Vols defense sacked Dylan Thompson twice and South Carolina’s field goal attempt came up short.
It was a huge win for Butch Jones, his team and the Big Orange faithful.
Vol fans have been waiting a long time for a win like that.
It certainly feels like Tennessee has turned the corner. They now need to win two of their final three to get to bowl eligibility.