Vols edge rusher James Pearce says a huge 'revenge game' was his favorite moment during his time at Tennessee
Tennessee Vols edge rusher James Pearce, a potential first round selection in the 2025 NFL Draft, was asked at the NFL scouting combine on Wednesday what his favorite moment was during his time in Knoxville. Pearce noted that the Third Saturday in October rivalry against Alabama is "always fun", but he first pointed out the […]
Tennessee Vols edge rusher James Pearce, a potential first round selection in the 2025 NFL Draft, was asked at the NFL scouting combine on Wednesday what his favorite moment was during his time in Knoxville.
Pearce noted that the Third Saturday in October rivalry against Alabama is "always fun", but he first pointed out the Vols' 2023 "revenge game" against the South Carolina Gamecocks as his favorite moment at UT.
"Probably [the] South Carolina game, revenge game," said Pearce. "The Third Saturday in October is always fun, too."
Tennessee blew out South Carolina 41-20 in Knoxville in 2023. The big win against the Gamecocks came the season after South Carolina essentially ended Tennessee's 2022 College Football Playoff hopes via a 63-38 shellacking in Columbia.
Pearce was a true freshman in 2022 and as a result, he didn't make an impact in Volunteers' loss to South Carolina.
The Charlotte native, however, showed up in a big way in the revenge game against South Carolina in 2023, totaling 3 tackles and two sacks in the dominant win.
Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel admitted after the win against South Carolina in 2023 that the Vols took the 2022 loss to the Gamecocks "personally".
"I think everybody took it personally, as an entire program," said Heupel after the win against the Gamecocks. "Our fans did, too. Certainly on the defensive side of the ball, too."
The atmosphere in Neyland Stadium for that South Carolina game in 2023 was electric as it gets. It's easy to see why that was one of Pearce's favorite moments during his time on Rocky Top.
Tennessee didn't play South Carolina in 2024 and they aren't scheduled to play the Gamecocks in 2025.
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