Tennessee's Marquez Callaway Stares Down South Carolina Defender on Touchdown Reception

Saturday afternoon, the Tennessee Volunteers faced off with the South Carolina Gamecocks. This was [...]

By John Newby

Saturday afternoon, the Tennessee Volunteers faced off with the South Carolina Gamecocks. This was set to be a fierce battle considering that these two teams simply do not like each other, and the product on the field did not disappoint. One wide receiver for Tennessee even disrespected a South Carolina defender en route to the end zone.

With a 24-21 lead in the third quarter, quarterback JT Shrout dropped back and launched a deep pass to receiver Marquez Callaway. The speedster had gotten behind the defense and was open. He caught the pass in stride and ran to the end zone.

To cap off the play, he kept staring back at defensive back Israel Mukuamu. It appeared that Callaway was certainly letting his opponent know that this touchdown was happening and that nothing could be done to prevent it.

In terms of wide receiver taunts, this play by the Tennessee speedster was lower on the list. He wasn't waving goodbye or throwing up the peace sign like NFL receivers Golden Tate and Tyreek Hill, so there was nothing blatant about the play. However, it did appear that he was certainly talking to Mukuamu.

Ultimately, Callaway was not penalized on the play for taunting, so if he did truly talk, it wasn't overheard by the referees. Instead, he gave his team a sizable advantage midway through the third quarter.

Interestingly enough, this was not Callaway's only score during this hard-fought game. He also returned a punt for 65 yards and a touchdown during the second quarter. This play was viewed by many as the one that flipped the game considering that it gave Tennessee a 10-7 lead and provided a massive boost to the home crowd.

Despite having to use two different quarterbacks during the game due to an injury, Tennessee didn't appear to struggle against South Carolina. The Volunteers put up 41 points midway through the fourth quarter while holding the Gamecocks to a mere 21. Meanwhile, Callaway topped 100 yards on only three receptions.

Whether or not Callaway's touchdowns were the cause of the boost in production was not made explicitly clear, but there was no denying that they certainly aided in the pursuit of the victory. It also appeared that he got away with some talking in the process. Although the answer may never truly be known.

(Photo Credit: Silas Walker/Getty)

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