SEC Week 1: everything you need to know for Tennessee-South Carolina

Do you believe you are here?

The Tennessee Volunteers kick off the long-awaited (and much-anticipated) 2020 season this Saturday against the South Carolina Gamecocks. The Vols finally broke their losing streak against Will Muschamp in 2019. Can they double this end of week and win your second straight win against a team coached by Muschamp?

Let’s dive into the first preview of the 2020 season game and find out.

• Historical series: The Vols lead the all-time series, 26-10-2, and won the last meeting in 2019.
• Longest winning streak: Big Orange won 12 consecutive games from 1993-2004.
• Interesting fact of the series: South Carolina is only 3-17 on the road, but is 7-9-2 at home against the Vols.
• 2019 offensive and defensive standings: Tennessee ended the 2019 season with 100th place on the attack (75th pass, 87th race) and 23rd classified defense (16th pass, 48th race). Gamecocks ranked No. 96 in terms of total attack (74th pass, 82nd race) and No. 66 in terms of total defense (80th pass, 66th race).

• Collin Hill: Mike Bobo, the new offensive coordinator from South Carolina, trained Hill when he was primarily responsible for Colorado State. It makes sense that Hill won the initial job, considering the crazy off-season the SEC had. He knows the system and knows what Bobo wants from his players. Hill has been productive when he’s healthy, so he should be an effective player this year, as long as he stays out of the medical tent.
• Secondary receivers from Tennessee vs. South Carolina: Shi Smith is still around, but the Gamecocks have lost some important pieces for the passing game. Bryan Edwards was one of the most underrated recipients in the country and will be difficult to replace. On the other hand, Tennessee returns most of its secondary departure and the group is entering its third year under Jeremy Pruitt. Can Vols’ experienced defensive backs flex on inexperienced SC receivers?
• Jarrett Guarantano: You knew we would get here, eventually. Will we see the good Jimmy G or the bad Jimmy G? If we get well, Tennessee’s potential is boundless. But if we get bad, Vols tend to look at best. The boy has a lot of confidence and is tough as hell, so we’ll do our best anyway, but Tennessee needs production more than anything this year.
• Tennessee Offensive Line: It is supposed to be the best and deepest group in recent memory. The Vols are on the offensive line thanks to the recruitment and transfer of Cade Mays from Georgia. At the moment, Mays has not yet been released by the SEC to play, but the idea is that he will take care of himself before Saturday. Regardless, the offensive line will certainly be something to be monitored throughout the game.
• South Carolina racing game: The thought was that MarShawn Lloyd would be an integral part of the ground attack, but that is no longer the case after he tore his ACL a month ago. Both Tavien Feaster and Rico Dowdle – the team’s two best backs last year – are gone and the Gamecocks are shuffling some guys up front. There is a lot of uncertainty here, so the Vols must be in good shape to exploit some incompatibilities. We’ll see if that’s the case on Saturday.

Volunteers from Tennessee

• QB Jarrett Guarantano: Like it or not, Guarantano will set the Tennessee ceiling in 2020.
• RB Eric Gray: Dude, the second year must be exciting for Gray. The Vols will probably make the attack through him, so I hope he takes the necessary steps in his development to become the guy.
• WR Josh Palmer: The senior Vols receiver is the guy who goes after the matches of Marquez Callaway and Jauan Jennings. He has all the talent in the world to be target # 1.
• DL Darel Middleton: He’s the guy after Emmit Gooden was fired earlier this year.
• LB Henry To’o To’o: Make no mistake: this is the defense of Henry To’o To’o.
• CB Bryce Thompson: Is this the first game in an All-American season for Thompson? We will find out soon.

South Carolina Gamecocks

• QB Collin Hill: We have no idea what Hill will look like on his SEC debut, but he’s been productive when he’s healthy, so don’t be surprised if he looks good.
• RB Kevin Harris: Who will be the leader of the running back? Harris had an average of 8.5 yards per load in 2019 and was second in the team with four running touchdowns. Gamecocks can deploy more than one committee, but Harris should receive more looks.
• WR Shi Smith: Much like Tennessee’s Palmer, Smith is the remnant of a list that has lost a lot of talent in its position. Still, the Vols will have to keep an eye on him this weekend.
• DL Zacch Pickens: A five-star recruit of the class of 2019 who should take the place of the late Javon Kinlaw. It is a difficult task, but he has the talent to do that.
• LB Ernest Jones: He led the team in tackles last year and is an integral part of the defense. He will be instrumental in helping to prevent the Vols’ ground game.
• DB Israel Mukuamu: The high school anchor and a guy who led the team with four interceptions last year.

Tennessee

• YOU Austin Pope: He had back surgery over the summer and Pruitt said he would not play this week. It’s a big problem because Pope is a big part of the Volleyball racing game.
• RB Carlin Fils-Aime: This is not an injury situation. It is a matter of NCAA eligibility, but the absence of Fils-Aime leaves the Vols with only two running backs who served on the SEC.
• RB / TE / WR Dee Beckwith: The freshman athlete will not travel to columbia, due to an ankle injury.

South Carolina

• RB MarShawn Lloyd: This was a brutal blow to the Gamecocks’ attack. Lloyd broke his ACL in August and will miss the entire 2020 season. He was one of the best SC recruits in the 2020 class.
• YOU Jaheim Bell: A meniscus problem will likely keep Bell out for a few more games.
• WR Chad Terrell: An ACL injury will keep you out of the game.

Bryan Lynn-USA TODAY Sports

I really, really have no idea what this game is going to be like.

If someone tells you that they are sure how things are going to happen on Saturday, I just go ahead and keep walking. There is simply too much unknown going into this confrontation.

Regardless, the Vols should have an advantage simply based on the fact that they had many of the same pieces in the past year and are not trying to change anything in any important position. Pruitt and Jim Chaney are back. Guarantano is back. The offensive line is back and has strengthened itself in the off-season. The defense is composed mainly of the same guys and pieces that were missing, like Darrell Taylor and Daniel Bituli, appear to have been replaced by productive players.

The Vols are not entering a new quarterback or offensive system. They are not losing one of their best offensive players. And they are not replacing a ton of talent on the defensive side of the ball.

But we all know how Muschamp is somehow able to keep those games closed and ugly (outside of last year). So anything is possible on Saturday night.

At the end of the day, however, the Vols must be able to enter Williams-Brice and get the voice acting. A 1-0 start is certainly on the horizon.