Kamal Hadden's Career Day Came at the Right Time For Tennessee
On Saturday, the Tennessee Volunteers won their first SEC over the South Carolina Gamecocks 41-20. The win pushes the Vols to 4-1 on the season, while the Gamecocks now sit at 2-3. A big storyline heading into the game was how Tennessee would halt South Carolina's big passing attack. Quarterback Spencer Rattler and wide receiver Xavier Leggette had great chemistry built on their last win before Saturday against Mississippi State.
The Vols secondary stepped to the plate, and a big part came from the senior cornerback from Michigan, Kamal Hadden. Hadden had the challenge of shadowing Leggette throughout a good bit of the game and did so brilliantly. After nearly touching 200 yards the previous weekend against the Bulldogs, he had just 50 yards on five catches against the Volunteers. Hadden being placed on his hip led to a lot of disruption within South Carolina's offense. He had a pass breakup and stuck his body into the passing lanes from Rattler all night.
Hadden made one of the biggest plays in the game when he picked off a Rattler pass that went through the hands of a Gamecock receiver. He returned the interception to the endzone for a touchdown, making the score 24-10 in favor of Tennessee. The score would remain the same heading into halftime and helped the Vols have an even more secure lead when they got the ball to begin the second half. The interception was Hadden's second on the season, as he also had one in the Vols' win over Austin Peay in week two. He leads the team in picks and is tied for third in the SEC in interceptions.
The secondary had always been a question mark within Tennessee's team from last season. However, in a big game where it was needed to step up, Hadden stepped to the plate and delivered a career night that helped Tennessee win number four.
Tennessee Volunteers CB Kamal Hadden during a loss to Florida. (Photo by Brianna Paciorka of the News Sentinel)
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