Tennessee Football Preview: Vols Host South Carolina in Pivotal Early SEC East Contest

The Opponent: The University of South Carolina was founded in 1801, and started playing football in 1892. They were brought into the SEC in 1992. Tennessee leads the all-time series with South Carolina 28-11-2. However, the Gamecocks have current bragging rights thanks to their shocking and decisive win over Tennessee last season. South Carolina is coached by Shane Beamer, son of Hall of Fame coach Frank Beamer. Beamer’s program appeared dead in the water last November before beating Tennessee and Clemson in successive weeks. Those wins, along with new offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains, appear to have brought out the best in quarterback Spencer Rattler.

Are they any Good?: That is a hard question to answer regarding South Carolina. There is a massive gap between the Gamecock’s strengths and their weaknesses. South Carolina’s passing game has been outstanding in spite of poor offensive line play. Spencer Rattler and Xavier Legette have been one of the best QB/WR combinations in the country so far this season. However South Carolina does not run the ball particularly well on offense, and their defense has been underperforming in most statistical categories. The end result is a 2-2 record, but it is very fair to point out that those losses have come to two very good teams. The best South Carolina has arguably looked has been in a loss in Athens.

What will this tell us about Tennessee?: This game will further vet out Tennessee’s place in the SEC pecking order, both this season and beyond. A win does not put you right back into the hunt for the SEC East, but a loss certainly disqualifies you. With a win, there is a realistic chance that Tennessee could be 5-1 heading to Tuscaloosa, with a chance to really change the tone of this season. A loss would all of a sudden make six or seven wins feel more realistic. This game will also tell us how personally Tennessee took last season’s embarrassment in Columbia. Coaches and players won’t talk publicly about revenge, but I have to imagine it has been discussed internally.

What does Vegas Say?: A lot of folks were surprised when this line opened up around -10 on Sunday. Most are even more surprised that it currently sits at -12 or even -12.5. Obviously, Las Vegas is not taking last year’s result into the equation here. They also seem to be giving Tennessee a big bump for home-field advantage. The thinking may be that we see more of South Carolina’s weaknesses than their strengths playing on the road. Either way, it is a curious line. It will be fascinating to see which direction it moves Saturday afternoon.

More from RTI: Tennessee Football’s Matchup With South Carolina Pits Strengths Versus Weaknesses

Matchup to watch on Defense: Keeping Spencer Rattler in the pocket. South Carolina has lost its two starting tackles, one in the spring and one in the opener against UNC. The Gamecocks were horrendous in passing blocking against UNC, allowing 9 sacks total. Pass protection has improved since then, but Spencer Rattler has still been playing under constant duress. Rattler has been outstanding in making throws outside of the pocket this season, just like he was against Tennessee last year. He is very dangerous when he breaks contain, and very good at keeping his eyes downfield. Senior receiver Xavier Legette is having a breakout season with 27 receptions and 556 yards through four games. Tennessee wants to keep Rattler inside the pocket Saturday night. Obviously, the Vols don’t want to give Rattler a clean pocket. The goal should be to collapse the middle of the pocket, and set contain on the edge. It is a big opportunity for some of Tennessee’s young pass rushers like James Pearce. They have to play smart though. Containment is more important than simply getting upfield in this game. Tennessee has a bad recent history with quarterbacks who can extend passing plays when the pocket breaks down. Guys like Baker Mayfield, Zach Wilson, Matt Corral, and Anthony Richardson have all had success inside Neyland Stadium despite pressure from Tennessee’s pass rush. I don’t think there is any doubt Tennessee can pressure Spencer Rattler on Saturday night. Pressure is not the concern for the Vols. It is keeping Rattler in the pocket, and using that pressure to collapse the pocket around him. I could see Tim Banks deploying more delayed blitzes Saturday night. It is something Aaron Beasley has done well at Tennessee. It is also something Wesley Walker and Tamarion McDonald have done well. Elijah Herring has struggled a little in the open field as he continues to learn the position. Is it simpler to blitz Herring as opposed to asking him to make plays in the open field? I think Josh Heupel and Tim Banks understand how effective Spencer Rattler can be when given time. I know they will bring pressure Saturday night. It is simply a function of containing Rattler when you bring that pressure.

Matchup to watch on Offense: Locate and deliver to the open receiver. South Carolina lost two cornerbacks to the NFL last season in Cam Smith & Darius Rush. They were two very good players and were able to cover Tennessee’s receivers man-to-man last season. It changed the way the Gamecocks were able to defend Tennessee’s offense in Columbia. South Carolina’s secondary has not been as effective through four games this season. South Carolina ranks dead last in the SEC in terms of yards per game and yards per attempt allowed through the air. While those numbers could be a little skewed due to the competition, it is clearly a group that is not playing up to its potential yet. The South Carolina secondary has struggled with communication issues through its first several games. Evidence of this can be seen in the fact that no defense in the SEC has given up more 30+ yard passing plays this season. That is not a good sign for the Gamecocks when facing Heupel’s offense. Tennessee will have receivers open Saturday night, possibly even wide open at times. Joe Milton has to first locate those open receivers, then deliver catchable balls. Milton has not been the only problem with Tennessee’s passing game this season, but the reality is the results aren’t there yet. Tennessee is dead last in the SEC in terms of 20+ yard passing plays this season with only 9. That is not something you’d expect from a Josh Heupel offense. This offense becomes much easier to defend without those downfield passing plays. While I expect Joe Milton to uncork a few 50+ yard throws, what Tennessee really needs to do is work the 15-20 yard intermediate throws. Play to the strength of a receiver like Bru McCoy. This may be the most advantageous match-up Tennessee’s pass game sees in the SEC. The Vols have to be effective against it.

Fun Fact: Tennessee will wear black jerseys for just the fifth time in modern history on Saturday night. It was nearly 100 years between when black jerseys were last seen and when Lane Kiffin rocked tradition by bringing them back in October 2009. While it did not sit well with everyone at the time, the Vols needed some extra juice playing against Steve Spurrier and a ranked Gamecock squad. Tennessee jumped on South Carolina early in that game, and never looked back. The Vols were powered by Montario Hardesty, playing one of the best games of his career. Montario will be on the sidelines Saturday night, serving as South Carolina’s running backs coach. Can a Tennessee running back-channel Hardesty’s greatness from 2009 to power another big win in this series?

So what happens?: I have not touched on Tennessee’s run game yet, and that probably needs to be the key to victory Saturday night. Tennessee ran the ball effectively last season against South Carolina, 152 yards total and 5.4 ypc. The problem is the Vols were playing from behind, so were forced to throw it 50 times compared to just 28 rush attempts. Tennessee is 9-3 under Josh Heupel in SEC games where they have more rush attempts than pass attempts. The Vols are 1-4 when the opposite is true. Tennessee’s rushing statistics are a little inflated due to its competition. Tennessee was not able to effectively run the ball in Gainesville. However, I think they will have more chances for success playing at home, and playing against this defense. Defensively, Tennessee has to play cleaner. We already talked about the importance of containing Spencer Rattler in the pocket. Simply put, when Tennessee gets hands on Rattler they have to take him down. The biggest plays Tennessee has given up this year have all been due to poor tackling. It was horrendous at times against Florida, and has been a common theme on every long play this defense has given up. South Carolina has some nice pass catchers, led by Xavier Legette. Tennessee’s corners have to be able to challenge those receivers without drawing penalties. Doneiko Slaughter’s availability looms large over this matchup. I expect South Carolina to move Legette around to find favorable matchups, which will certainly include Kamal Hadden. Tennessee has not seen a good passing attack yet this season, but is still allowing opposing quarterbacks to complete 68.5% of their passes. Rattler has completed over 90% of his passes in two separate games this season. Tim Banks can’t let South Carolina play pitch & catch against his defense.

Josh Heupel is 14-3 inside of Neyland Stadium. All three of those losses came in 2021, and all came to teams that finished the season ranked inside the Top 15 (Pitt, Ole Miss, and Georgia). He is 21-3 at Tennessee when scoring 30+ points and 0-6 when scoring under 30. In the history of this rivalry, South Carolina has never scored more than 24 points inside Neyland Stadium. What do all of these numbers mean? I am not entirely sure outside of highlighting the home-field advantage that Tennessee will have Saturday night. I do think this is an incredibly consequential game for Josh Heupel long term. Losing as a double-digit favorite to Shane Beamer two seasons in a row would be a stain that is very hard to wash off. I don’t think Heupel has to worry about that though. I think a hostile crowd highlights South Carolina’s weaknesses. Even in a valiant effort, I think that will be more than Spencer Rattler and his receivers can overcome. Tennessee makes a few big plays on defense, and otherwise relies on its ground game to wear down the Gamecock defense.

Prediction: Tennessee 38, South Carolina 27