The Opponent At-a-Glance: South Carolina
On Saturday, the Tennessee Volunteers are matched up with the South Carolina Gamecocks for their first home SEC game of the season. The Vols currently sit at 3-1 and are coming off a win against UTSA. As for USC, they are coming off a win against Mississippi State and now sit at 2-2 on their season.
Tennessee lost last year's matchup with the Gamecocks in Columbia, 63-38. This game would ultimately be the one to derail the Vols' season and their hopes of a college football playoff berth. Tennessee will be looking for revenge for last year's defeat that ended a three-game winning streak for them against the Gamecocks.
USC has yet to beat a ranked team this season. Their win before Mississippi State was against Furman, with two losses to North Carolina and Georgia coming in between them. The key to the game will be stopping South Carolina's passing game, which is at the forefront of their offense. Quarterback Spencer Rattler has started the year hot with 1,242 yards and seven touchdowns. The Gamecocks average the most passing yards per game in the SEC (340 yards per game). Rattler himself is third in the SEC in passing yards behind only Vanderbilt's A.J. Swann and LSU's Jayden Daniels.
If there is a defense right now that can hinder Rattler and the opposing offense's attack, it is Tennessee. However, they must apply pressure to keep him from getting settled and accurate. The Vols have the most sacks out of any SEC team and are also top five in the conference in total tackles among the team.
The secondary is slightly improving as well. The Vols are fourth in the SEC in opponent passing yard average per game. The battle between the South Carolina offense and Tennessee defense will play a huge role in the direction the game goes. Kickoff for Saturday's game is at 7:30 p.m. E.T.
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