South Carolina Game Preview
Tennessee understandably had a hangover to start the game against Missouri. They still managed to sleepwalk to a pretty decent lead at halftime. Missouri got a stop to start the second half and got a touchdown to make the game 28-24. Then the Vols woke up and absolutely put it on Missouri. That's what great teams do when they play uninspired and let a lesser team hang around. They suddenly turn it on and leave their opponent in the dust.
The Vols have now won 9 regular season games for the first time since 2007. With a win Saturday against South Carolina, the Vols will clinch their first 10 win regular season since 2003 and their first season with fewer than 4 losses since 2004. There are other milestones to pass but I will get to them as they come.
Tennessee is going on the road to South Carolina Saturday in a night game. Some of you are probably having flashbacks to how the Vols handled Sanford Stadium and the 8 pre snap penalties. The crowd will probably be pretty loud, but South Carolina doesn't really have the team compliment it. I've heard early reports that the stadium will be about 30% Tennessee fans. This isn't surprising. The Vols have travelled well all year, except for Georgia and that's because tickets were astronomical. Couple that with the fact that South Carolina has lost 2 of the last 3 after a 5-2 start and Gamecock fans are a little deflated. The mood of their fan base seems to be that they expect a beating from Tennessee but those that show up will still support their team. I'll give their fans credit. They are very loyal and show up for their team even when they are terrible. They were 0-11 in 1999 and they still filled their stadium. They are feisty too. A lot like Kentucky fans. But South Carolina and Kentucky both enjoyed unprecedented success in recent years because they were filling the void that Tennessee left. That's over now and all of these fan bases of lesser programs are starting to realize their true places in the order of things.
It's really hard to see a path for South Carolina in this game. They would need multiple turnovers and big plays on special teams. They would also need their offense to play lights out and score at least 35-40 points. It's possible, but very unlikely.
Offensively I think Tennessee will continue to try for style points and pad Hendon Hooker's stats along with Jalin Hyatt. The emergence of Dylan Sampson was one of the biggest things to come out of the Missouri game. If his pass protection woes have been resolved, he will give Tennessee's offense another gear. Jabari Small and Jaylen Wright are both pretty good SEC running backs. They give the Vols solid yards and keep defenses honest. But Dylan Sampson is a big play running back and that is the one thing we haven't really seen from Heupel's offense this year. We got a taste of it last year with Tiyon Evans but he only played about half the year. That threat will only make the best offense in the country that much more potent. I think Hyatt, a South Carolina native, will have a big game as he continues to break and set records on his way to the Biletnikoff Award and he will have extra motivation since he wasn't recruited by the Gamecocks. Tillman should play this week. I think we see him continue to shake off the rust. South Carolina's defense is okay against the pass but they are terrible against the run. Tennessee should have no trouble keeping them off balance enough to do whatever they want.
South Carolina's offense is pretty atrocious. They only pass for 228 a game and only run for 127. Their offensive line has struggled all year as well. Tennessee should have no trouble shutting down their run, forcing them to pass. If Spencer Rattler has time he will likely make a few plays but I think Tennessee's pass rush is going to be in his face all night. I don't really expect many points from South Carolina's offense.
Tennessee's special teams could be South Carolina's path to stealing points. Shane Beamer plays Beamer ball, just like his dad and Tennessee has struggled getting punts off this year. Even so, I think they would need a lot of plays from their special teams to have a chance and I don't think Tennessee will be punting much.
I think this game plays out like these games typically do under Josh Heupel. The Vols get a big lead early and the game never really feels in doubt.
Tennessee (-21.5) 59
South Carolina 17
In other games...
Michigan 34
Illinois (+17.5) 21
Baylor (+2.5) 42
TCU 38
Oklahoma 38
Oklahoma State (+7.5) 37
UCLA (+2.5) 45
USC 41
Oregon (+2.5) 37
Utah 35
Last Week... 4-3(5-2 ATS) Overall Record... 41-27(39-29-1 ATS)
It's weird to not have any other SEC games in my picks. Disgraceful scheduling by the league every year in the second to last week of the regular season.
That's all I have for this week. Thank you for reading. I always appreciate it. Cherish every second of football. Only 1 game left after Saturday.
Follow me on Twitter @Joshes_Journal
Have a great weekend everyone and stay safe. Go Vols and God Bless!