Keys To Victory: South Carolina @ No. 21 Tennessee

South Carolina's Football team will have to accomplish multiple objectives if they want to walk out of Neyland Stadium with a win over Tennessee.

This week has either felt like a day has barely passed by or that it's taken an eternity for Gameday to get here if you're a South Carolina fan, but it's finally right on your doorstep. The Gamecocks are heading to Knoxville looking to play spoiler once again for the Volunteers, this regarding their odds of making the SEC Championship game. What will the keys to victory be for Shane Beamer's squad?

Match What Tennessee Does Early

When playing on the road, especially in front of a raucous SEC crowd of over 100,000 fans participating in a black-out, the last thing you can afford to do is give the fans reason to get loud early on. South Carolina has to match whatever Tennessee does scoring-wise early on in this game. Allow the Volunteers to accumulate an early 10 to 14-point lead, and finding a way to win this game becomes infinitely more difficult.

Win On Early Downs On Both Sides Of The Ball

When it comes to Tennessee's strengths, there are two of them specifically that could cause problems for South Carolina: the Volunteers' run game and their athletic pass rush. The Gamecocks' defense can't afford to let Jaylen Wright, should he play, and the rest of the running back room churn out five-plus yards each carry. They have to put the onus of this game on Joe Milton. On the flip side, South Carolina's offense has to avoid constantly being in 2nd and 3rd and long situations, which would allow the Vols to pin their ears back and try to get after Spencer Rattler.

Make Plays When Needed

Ask anyone who legitimately covers South Carolina and Tennessee's teams, and you'll find very few people who think either team will win this game convincingly. South Carolina has multiple star players who'll likely answer the bell in Spencer Rattler and Xavier Legette, but when the Gamecocks need to convert a critical third down or make a stop, who'll be those guys? The number of guys that can answer that question could decide which team wins in the end.

How To Watch: South Carolina @ No. 21 Tennessee

• Gameday: Saturday, September 30th, 2023.
• Venue: Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, TN
• Game time: 7:30 pm ET
• Kickoff Forecast (via Accuweather): 79 Degrees and Sunny (Chance For Rain: 0%)
• TV: SEC Network
• Live stream on fuboTV: Start with a 7-day free trial!

You Might Also Like:

• Tennessee's Special Teams Could Offer Rare Challenge For South Carolina
• By The Numbers: Tennessee's Defense
• Clayton White Addresses Pass Defense Struggles

Join the community:

• Follow Andrew Lyon on Twitter: @ALyon_SC
• Follow Joseph Griffin on Twitter: @JosephGriffinJG
• Follow Fisher Brewer on Twitter: @USCTalk
• Follow Locked On Gamecocks on Youtube or wherever you get your podcasts

You can follow us for future coverage by clicking "Follow" on the top right-hand corner of the page. Also, be sure to follow us on Twitter at @GamecocksDigest.