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Tennessee football vs. South Carolina: 10 keys for Gamecocks and Vols

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 06: A general view of the Tennessee Volunteers taking the field before the start of their game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Neyland Stadium on October 6, 2007 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 06: A general view of the Tennessee Volunteers taking the field before the start of their game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Neyland Stadium on October 6, 2007 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /
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Photo by John Sommers II/Getty Images
Photo by John Sommers II/Getty Images /

In a matchup with major postseason implications, Tennessee football hosts South Carolina. Here are the keys to the game for the Volunteers and Gamecocks.

Two former defensive coordinators for Nick Saban will square of Saturday in desperation mode to keep their postseason hopes alive. Tennessee football will also be looking for its first win against Will Muschamp in seven tries and the South Carolina Gamecocks overall since 2015.

Yes, Muschamp and Jeremy Pruitt go head-to-head. After a close 27-24 game last year in Columbia, the two will meet up in Knoxville. Both teams have losing records, with UT at 2-5 and 1-3 in the SEC and S.C. at 3-4 and 2-3 in the SEC. They are also both coming off losses, S.C. to the Florida Gators and UT to the Alabama Crimson Tide.

With similar coaches who have similar backgrounds and have had similar seasons, it’s pretty obvious that these teams have similar playing styles as well. So there’s no real formula for Tennessee football or the Gamecocks in this game.

It’s also worth noting that both teams appeared to have major issues with SEC officiating the previous week. Simply put, their similarities go incredibly deep, and it is a little eery for a game that always takes place right before Halloween.

As we get set to break down the factors that will determine which team wins, though, it’s clear that there are lots of factors in play for both teams. They each have things that have plagued them dramatically, which is why they have losing records, but they also have some strengths have been signs of encouragement.

Since they are so evenly matched, we’re about to see whose strengths and weaknesses are magnified the most. And we’ll also see which coach has his program on more of the right track. Make no mistake, for an SEC Network game, this is a huge matchup.

So who is going to be the one to benefit the most? What are the aspects of the game that will determine who comes out of there with a major victory? Let’s break that down here. These are the 10 keys to the game between Tennessee football and the South Carolina Gamecocks Saturday.

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