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Tennessee players in altercations after South Carolina field storming, what we know
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- Tennessee players in altercations after South Carolina field storming, what we know
COLUMBIA, SC – Video shows that Tennessee football players had altercations with South Carolina players and fans during the field storming immediately after the Vols lost 27-24 on the final play at Williams-Brice Stadium on Oct. 24.
UT linebacker Jeremiah Telander appeared to throw a punch at a South Carolina player. And UT defensive lineman Daevin Hobbs appeared to push a South Carolina fan to the ground while the fan was running away carrying UT equipment. Fans also yelled profanities and waved their hands in UT players' faces during the latter incident.
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UT did not immediately respond to a Knox News request for comment on Oct. 25. Coach Josh Heupel's next press conference is scheduled for Oct. 28.
Tennessee enters an open week before playing Kentucky on Nov. 7 (time, TV TBA) at Neyland Stadium.
The incidents happened in the moments immediately after Malik Orsan made the game-winning 48-yard field goal to give the Gamecocks (4-3, 2-3 SEC) the victory against Tennessee (6-2, 3-2).
Thousands of South Carolina fans pushed through the hedges surrounding the field and ran toward players of both teams. Some sprinted toward South Carolina players to celebrate the dramatic last-second win. Others ran toward UT players to taunt them as they left the field. Many fans filmed the event with their phones and posted the videos on social media.
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Immediate field storming is an SEC violation, resulting in a $500,000 fine. South Carolina must pay that money to Tennessee, according to SEC rule. The conference office is expected to announce that fine on Oct. 25, as it typically does on the day after a game.
Tennessee was fined $500,000 for storming the field after a 26-10 win over Alabama on Oct. 17 at Neyland Stadium.
What happened in altercations involving Tennessee players
Videos depict the heightened emotions immediately after the South Carolina game and the chaos added by the sudden onrush of fans.
In one video, a fan runs toward UT players and taunts them as they walk off the field. The fan shouts profanities and waves his hand in the face of UT defensive lineman Kedric Golston, who turns his head and walks away.
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In the background of that video, another fan appears to be carrying a whiteboard from the UT sideline, which coaches use to diagram plays on the sideline. Hobbs then shoves the fan to the ground and takes the whiteboard easel from the fan.
It's only a seven-second video, and Hobbs appears in the final two seconds. It's unclear what happened immediately before the shove or what provoked the altercation except that it appeared that the fan had taken equipment from UT's sideline. Other UT team gear and video equipment were also damaged in the field storming.
In another video, Telander and a South Carolina player meet as fans storm the field around them. Telander approaches the player and throws a punch while both players are still wearing helmets. A security guard then escorts Telander off the field. The South Carolina player's identity was not clear. He wore No. 23, which is shared by defensive back Triston Lewis and wide receiver Sequel Patterson.
It was only an eight-second video, so it wasn't clear what provoked the altercation.
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Visiting locker room setup made it hard for Tennessee players to exit field
Logistics of Williams-Brice Stadium delayed Tennessee's exit from the field and utlimately how it left the stadium long after the game.
In 2022, South Carolina fans stormed the field after beating Tennessee. Since then, the visiting locker room has been moved to the opposite side of the field. It has a tight corridor which only allows players to enter and exit in a single-file line.
Fans stormed the field and remained there long after the game ended. Team buses were parked on the opposite side of the field from the visiting locker room. That meant UT players and coaches had to remain in a holding area until the field was cleared so they could walk across the field to reach their buses.
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Fans were still crowded around UT buses when they left the stadium.
Tennessee has been on both sides of past field-storming incidents
Altercations between players and fans have become common as field storming has increased in recent years. Some fans harmlessly celebrate wins. Others try to provoke players into a physical altercation.
In 2025, the SEC hardened its field-storming policy, attaching a $500,000 to all offenses. It hoped to curtail field-storming to protect fans and players from dangerous situations, but those events have continued.
Tennessee has been on both sides of such incidents in recent years.
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In 2022, a video surfaced of then-Alabama receiver Jermaine Burton appearing to smack a woman after Tennessee defeated Alabama and stormed the field that season. Former coach Nick Saban did not suspend Burton for his actions at the time.
"I don't know how many of you have ever been in a situation like that, but I talked to him. He was scared. I was scared. Some of our other players were scared," Saban said in 2022 . "I didn't think it was necessary to suspend the guy. If you knew the whole story, maybe you wouldn't either. But I'm not going to divulge that."
In 2024, Arkansas fans stormed the field after the Razorbacks upset No. 4 Tennessee 19-14. At that time, video showed then-UT defensive lineman Omari Thomas pushing a male fan into a female fan, and they both fell to the ground.
Thomas apologized for that incident the next day while also acknowledging the challenging environment that players encountered to exit the field. Heupel did not suspend Thomas.
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"I apologize for my actions during the chaotic postgame scene. Even though we got run into multiple times by fans while trying to exit the field, that doesn't condone my actions or define my character," Thomas posted on his X account in 2024.
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com . X, formerly known as Twitter @AdamSparks . Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe .
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee players in altercations after South Carolina field storming, what we know
