COLUMBIA, S.C. — Tennessee is in line to collect $500,000 from South Carolina after Gamecock fans poured onto the field at Williams-Brice Stadium when the Vols lost 27-24 on Saturday.
The Southeastern Conference announced the penalty Sunday. League rules bar spectators from entering the playing area before, during or after a game in any SEC sport, and the fine for a home school whose fans break that rule is paid to the visiting school.
The rule does leave the commissioner some room. The amount can be cut to $100,000 if the host school shows it made a full effort to keep fans off the field, that only a small number got onto it and that there was little contact with the visiting team. The policy dates to 2004 and was last revised in 2025.
Tennessee was on the paying end of the same penalty a week earlier, when Vols fans rushed the turf at Neyland Stadium after a win over Alabama. The two fines effectively offset each other on the books.
The field rush followed a wild finish. Tennessee had battled back from a 14-0 hole to lead 24-17, but South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers scored the tying touchdown with 1:17 to play. A strip sack forced a Tennessee fumble with 33 seconds left, and Malik Orsan hit a 48-yard field goal as time ran out.
Tailback DeSean Bishop gave Tennessee 130 rushing yards and a touchdown in the loss, the second straight for the Vols at Williams-Brice. Tennessee entered the weekend ranked No. 11 nationally and now sits at 6-2 overall and 3-2 in league play, while South Carolina improved to 4-3.
For the Vols, the $500,000 check is a small consolation after a loss that dents their hopes in the SEC race. The conference typically announces field-storming penalties the day after a game, and South Carolina has not said whether it will seek the reduced amount.
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