Keys to the game for Tennessee vs. South Carolina
The Tennessee Volunteers will be looking for some revenge this Saturday night. Last Year the Vols were 9-1 and ranked 5th in the country before heading down to Columbia to take on the South Carolina Gamecocks. The Vols were then thoroughly embarrassed by Shane Beamer and the Cocks as they got bludgeoned 63-38, and even more heartbreaking was Hendon Hooker sustaining a torn ACL late in the game. The Vol’s playoff hopes and their starting QB’s magical season both came to a screeching halt, all in the span of 4 hours. A win against the Gamecocks Saturday night wouldn’t make up for the debacle in Columbia last year, but what it would do is keep the Vols alive in the race for the SEC East. The Vols will be donning the dark mode jerseys under the lights, and the big orange faithful will be liquored up and ready to rock, but will Josh Heupel and the Vols deliver a win? Let’s take a look at three things the Vols must do to get the Victory against the Gamecocks.
Contain Spencer Rattler and Xavier Legette
South Carolina’s offensive line is hilariously bad, but that hasn’t stopped Spencer Rattler from being effective. The Gamecocks are dead last in the SEC in sacks allowed, but still lead the SEC in passing yards per game. This means that Spencer Rattler, even under duress, has the ability to scramble out of the pocket and make plays. The Vols will have to collapse on Rattler as a unit as opposed to relying on Tyler Barron and James Pearce to get home on their own. Losing contain on Rattler will inevitably lead to big plays downfield so the Vols better be disciplined in their pass rush and keep contain or Rattler will have a field day throwing on the run and picking up first downs with his legs.
Rattler will inevitably break contain a few times Saturday night and when he does, he will most likely be looking for Xavier Legette. Legette has been one of the best receivers in the SEC in the early part of the season, and the Vols secondary will need to step up to keep him in check. Legette will make plays on Saturday, but the Vols can limit the damage by keeping him in front and making tackles as soon as he catches the ball. Legette is certainly capable of catching 10-plus passes against the Vols, but avoiding the breakdown that allows Legette to take one to the house will be essential for the Vols.
Hit the Downfield Passes
South Carolina’s defense is leaky at best. They are last in the SEC in several defensive statistics and don’t defend the deep ball well at all. Mississippi State’s Tulu Griffin broke the school’s single-game receiving record against the Gamecocks this past Saturday when he accumulated 256 yards breaking loose from the Gamecock defense all night. The Vols certainly have receivers capable of getting open against this porous secondary, but will Joe Milton be able to make the play when it becomes available? Milton had a good first half last week, but after getting shaken up right before halftime he couldn’t hit the broadside of a barn. What’s even more concerning is that the plays were all open and Milton just had misfire after misfire. A receiver being wide open doesn’t do any good if the QB can’t put the ball on target. If Joe Milton is still hobbled, you’ll most likely see the Vols try to pound the rock and stick with the quick passes we’ve seen throughout the first 4 games. However, Josh Heupel is likely salivating after watching how vulnerable the Gamecocks are on the back end. Even if the Vols do run the ball over 50 times Josh Heupel will certainly push the ball downfield off play-action. It’s up to Joe Milton to go out and execute.
Finish in The Red Zone
For as bad as South Carolina’s defense is, they still got stops in big moments on their way to victory against Mississippi State last week. State got bogged down in the red zone a few times on Saturday night and it ended up being the difference in the game. The Vols will have to finish drives with touchdowns instead of field goals to get the victory Saturday night. Getting 600 yards of offense will look good in the box score, but it might not be enough to win the game if the Vols settle for field goals too many times. The offensive line will need to get a push in goal-to-go situations, and Joe Milton has to be sharp when the passing lanes get tighter close to the goal line. If the Vols can make the most of their opportunities in the red zone and avoid the drive-killing penalty that makes it 3rd and Goal from the 15, they should be able to win the game.
Josh Heupel probably has nightmares about the Vol’s loss against the Gamecocks last year. Josh Heupel has also shown that he is not afraid to run up the score when he’s been pissed off at a certain opponent. Any player who was a part of last year’s team should be foaming at the mouth to hit the field Saturday night. This is the team that ended your playoff hopes. This is the team that scored 9 touchdowns against you (looking at you Tim Banks). Josh Heupel will have the team ready to go Saturday night and I think they will do all of the 3 things I laid out on the way to a comfortable victory against the Gamecocks on Saturday Night. The liquor will be flowing, Neyland will be rocking, and the team will be juiced up. Give me the Vols pulling away in the third quarter as Spencer Rattler gets really familiar with the East Tennessee night sky, as he’s on his back all game long.
Prediction :
Vols – 48
USC Jr.- 27