Know Your Enemy: South Carolina Gamecocks

Oct 25, 2014; Auburn, AL, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks quarterback Dylan Thompson (17) throws a pass during the second half against the Auburn Tigers at Jordan Hare Stadium. Thompson threw for 402 yards but the Tigers beat the Gamecocks 42-35. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-USA TODAY Sports

Who: South Carolina Gamecocks — Columbia, SC

Distance From Knoxville: 263 miles

Head coach: Steve Spurrier (10th season with South Carolina, 81-43, 43-35 SEC)

Conference: SEC

2014 Record: 4-4 (2-4)

Ranking: N/A

All time series: Tennessee leads 23-7-2

Last meeting: Tennessee won in Knoxville last season, 23-21

Leading Passer: Dylan Thompson — 2,241 yards, 20 TDs, 9 INTs

Leading Rusher: Mike Davis — 142 carries, 750 yards, 8 TDs

Leading Receiver: Pharoh Cooper — 40 catches, 553 yards, 6 TDs

After one of the toughest stretches in all of college football, the Vols are finally entering a stretch of winnable games against teams who are closer to their level. That stretch starts with a team looking for revenge after the Vols upset them in 2013.

The South Carolina Gamecocks were picked by a number of experts as the favorite to win the SEC East heading into the 2014 season. A 52-28 rout at the hands of Texas A&M to begin the season set the tone for the rest of the season for the Gamecocks, as they have floundered to a disappointing 4-4 start.

South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier, a longtime nemesis of the Vols, has never suffered a losing season with the Gamecocks, and the only time he ever has was his first ever season as head coach back in 1987 when Duke went 5-6. He’s in danger of possibly suffering his first losing season since his first, however.

The Gamecocks have suffered losses to Texas A&M, Missouri, Kentucky, and Auburn, giving up an average of 40 points in those losses. Even their wins haven’t looked particularly impressive, as their wins against East Carolina and Vanderbilt were only by two scores, and their 41-10 win against Furman, a 2-5 FCS team, looked uninspired.

South Carolina inexplicably owns a victory over the SEC East-leading Georgia Bulldogs, 38-35. That game, however, is proving more and more to be a fluke rather than the true identity of the Gamecocks.

South Carolina boasts a solid offense, scoring 35.1 points per game and ranking 7th in the SEC in rushing offense (177.1 YPG), 3rd in passing offense (284.3 YPG), 7th in yards per play (6.2),  and 5th in total offense (461.4 YPG). Senior quarterback Dylan Thompson is having a relatively impressive 1st year as full-time starter, but he has thrown 3 interceptions in 2 of his last 3 games, totaling 9 on the season.

While the Vols just faced an Alabama passing offense that runs almost exclusively through superstar receiver Amari Cooper, South Carolina boasts a more balanced receiving corps. Sophomore Pharoh Cooper may lead the team in receptions, yards, and touchdowns, but the Gamecocks have 4 receivers who have at least 21 catches and a 5th with 18. Nick Jones and Shaq Roland are two receivers that can step up if Cooper has an off night.

Mike Davis heads up South Carolina’s rushing attack, as he has over half of the team’s overall rushing yards. While he’s not having the year many expected him to have as a junior after a breakout sophomore campaign, he’s still averaging 5.3 yards per carry and has chipped in 21 receptions for 223 yards and a score.

South Carolina’s biggest weakness isn’t one aspect of its defense: It’s its whole defense.

The Gamecocks are 11th in the SEC in passing yards given up (229.1 YPG), 13th in total defense (437.5 YPG), and dead last in rushing defense (208.4 YPG) and scoring defense (32.8 PPG). Vanderbilt is tied with South Carolina for the most points given up, and Mississippi State (oddly enough) is the only team with more total yards given up per game.

South Carolina is also 13th in the conference in turnovers forced with 9, and they are last in the SEC in sacks (8) and opponent’s 3rd down conversion rate (42.7%).

If this game had come two weeks ago, all these defensive statistics might not have mattered given the rut the Vols’ offense was in. But last Saturday’s game against Alabama saw Tennessee’s offense go through a renaissance, and you think they have to be licking their chops seeing this defense.

Here are some examples of South Carolina’s defensive performances this season: They gave up 100 yards rushing to an Auburn wide receiver on just 3 carries when Ricardo Louis carried the ball three times for 102 yards last Saturday. They also allowed Vanderbilt to pile up 113 yards of offense above their season average. They even gave up 211 rushing yards to Furman, an FCS team, and a bad one at that.

With that being said, this is still an SEC game, and the Gamecocks should be motivated from last season when the Vols inexplicably upset South Carolina and derailed their SEC East title chances. This annual series has been close since Spurrier took over in 2005, as it has been decided by an average margin of victory of 8.9 points per game. That should likely hold true this Saturday.

All stats via cfbstats.com and series info via collegefootball.bz unless noted otherwise