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Tennessee football vs. South Carolina: Five Gamecocks to watch for against Vols

By Caleb Calhoun

COLUMBIA, MO - SEPTEMBER 21: D.J. Wonnum #8 of the South Carolina Gamecocks returns an interception back to the Missouri Tigers 1-yard line in the second quarter at Faurot Field/Memorial Stadium on September 21, 2019 in Columbia, Missouri. (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images)
COLUMBIA, MO - SEPTEMBER 21: D.J. Wonnum #8 of the South Carolina Gamecocks returns an interception back to the Missouri Tigers 1-yard line in the second quarter at Faurot Field/Memorial Stadium on September 21, 2019 in Columbia, Missouri. (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images) /
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Photo by Tyler Lecka/Getty Images
Photo by Tyler Lecka/Getty Images /

Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. D.J. Wonnum. 850. Edge Rusher. Senior. 1. player

Israel Mukuamo had his breakout game two weeks ago, Javon Kinlaw gets the push up front, and Ernest Jones and T.J. Brunson do the leg work at linebacker. But the guy who cashes in on all that for the splash plays is D.J. Wonnum.

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Despite Will Muschamp running more of a 4-3, Wonmum does what Darrell Taylor is meant to do in Jeremy Pruitt’s system. He cashes in on the push his teammates get up front and just comes around the edge to blows plays up, and he has been highly successful at that this year for the South Carolina Gamecocks.

Wonnum leads the team in tackles for a loss with seven and a half, and he also has four and a half sacks along with a forced fumble, 25 tackles and 17 solo, and even an interception. He’s returning to his elite 2017 form, when he was an unstoppable force while helping S.C. to a 9-4 record. Tennessee football will have its hands full with him.

Like Taylor, Wonnum’s big plays come in bunches, such as three tackles for a loss against the North Carolina Tar Heels or three sacks against the Kentucky Wildcats. But he still comes through more often than not, as his interception was not in either of those games, and he’s had a tackle for a loss in each of the last two games against the Georgia Bulldogs and Florida Gators as well.

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So Wonnum makes big plays in pretty much every game. The key for Tennessee football is to make sure he doesn’t wreck them, especially on those times in which they have to pass. Jim Chaney likes horizontal running plays down the sideline, and that’s where Wonnum could come up big in stopping the run as well. As a result, UT always needs to be ready for this elite playmaker.

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