The Tennessee Volunteers (3–4) travel to Columbia, South Carolina this weekend to battle the South Carolina Gamecocks (3–3).
The Vols led by Head Coach Jeremy Pruitt are coming off of a hard loss to the #1 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide, while The Gamecocks were off last weekend on a Bye.
One can only wonder which Tennessee team Vol fans will see on Saturday. Will it be the team that gave up 6 turnovers against Florida, or will be the team that was quick to silence the talk of another 0–8 season in the SEC against Auburn? Let’s hope that it’s the ladder.
Game Info:
Where: Columbia, South Carolina
When: 7:30 p.m. E.T.
Line: South Carolina -7.5
Weather: 60 degrees and Partly Cloudy
How to watch: SEC Network
Players to Watch:
Tennessee:
Jarrett Guarantano:
After going down early in the Alabama game with what has been reported as bruised ribs, Guarantano will be ready to go in Columbia. JG had a huge weekend two weeks ago in Auburn throwing for 328 yards and 2 TD’s. Will he be able to continue that against a somewhat struggling Will Muschamp defense? If the Vols want to be able to take home a big SEC East win, Guarantano will need to be able to take advantage of his receivers and stretch the field vertically.
South Carolina:
Rashad Fenton: A name most Tennessee fans probably don’t recognize, Fenton is actually one of the top 20 defensive players in the country according to CBSsports.com. We all know what Tennessee wants to do on offense. Helton wants to go vertical and stretch the field. Fenton might end up as a thorn in Helton’s side. Totalling 3 interceptions on the year, Rashad Fenton has been nothing short of impressive. Will he be able to line up across the likes of Marquez Callaway and Josh Palmer and keep them from making big plays, limiting Tennessee’s recent success on the deep ball?
Predictions:
David: 34–21 UT. “Guarantano comes back strong after that nasty hit last week vs. Bama. Ty Chandler and Tim Jordan open the running game back up and account for more than 200 yards rushing between them.”
John: 31-20 UT. “South Carolina’s offense has had trouble with decent defenses all year. Tennessee’s defense has improved every week on the season. I expect to see Tennessee win the turnover battle 3/0, and capitalize off of those turnovers.”
Laray: 21-17 UT. “Tennessee dominates on defense. Sloppy game on offense but takes care of business.”
Nate: 28-17 UT. “I think South Carolina's play calling will be to predictable for Jeremy Pruitt this weekend. Jake Bentley has struggled all season behind a not so good offensive line. I think we actually open the run game back up this weekend.”
Brandon: 17-10 UT. “A tight, defensive game. The Vols struggle with the Gamecock D Line, but take advantage of a short field or two courtesy of turnovers forced by the defense. Look for Jauan Jennings to make an impact with his size.”
Cameron: 27-20. "The Curse of Will Muschamp is finally broken. It won't be a pretty game, but being a must win for Tennessee, I think they pull it out."