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Tennessee vs South Carolina: 5 Vols to Watch for vs Gamecocks

By Caleb Calhoun

Sep 17, 2016; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Joshua Dobbs (11) hands the ball off to running back Jalen Hurd (1) during the second half against the Ohio Bobcats at Neyland Stadium. Tennessee won 28 to 19. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 17, 2016; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Joshua Dobbs (11) hands the ball off to running back Jalen Hurd (1) during the second half against the Ohio Bobcats at Neyland Stadium. Tennessee won 28 to 19. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 1, 2016; Athens, GA, USA; Tennessee Volunteers running back Jalen Hurd (1) scores a touchdown against the Georgia Bulldogs during the second half at Sanford Stadium. Tennessee defeated Georgia 34-31. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 1, 2016; Athens, GA, USA; Tennessee Volunteers running back Jalen Hurd (1) scores a touchdown against the Georgia Bulldogs during the second half at Sanford Stadium. Tennessee defeated Georgia 34-31. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /

Just three weeks ago, Jalen Hurd seemed irrelevant. He had to miss the Texas A&M game, and he was done for most of the second half of the Georgia game.

However, with Alvin Kamara now hurt, Hurd is now a huge deal.

The Gamecocks may be solid overall on defense, but they have been absolutely atrocious at stopping running backs. UMASS had a 100-yard rusher against them, and Georgia had two. So Hurd should be able to have a field day.

Of course, there are uninformed people out there pointing to Hurd’s under three and a half yards per carry average to say that John Kelly should be a starter. Kelly does have an exciting future with the program, and he had an admirable performance against the Texas A&M Aggies.

However, Kelly was a fumble machine, causing two of them. Will Muschamp’s defense thrives on forcing turnovers.

That’s a terrible combination.

Hurd, meanwhile, is a workhorse who rarely turns it over. Combine that with the fact that he runs hard, and he is a crucial player for the Vols in the Tennessee vs South Carolina match-up.

He could also use some help in making this a dominant rushing game for Tennessee, which brings us to our next point.

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