Tennessee football: Five Vols to watch for at South Carolina

6’2″ 245 pounds; Hometown: Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

With no Darrell Taylor to get two sacks against the South Carolina Gamecocks and kill drives like he did last year, Tennessee football needs to find help elsewhere. For this spot, we were down to Kivon Bennett and LaTrell Bumphus. Bennett is the guy, though, that Jeremy Pruitt will need to rely on to make big plays and keep giving the Vols advantages.

We’ve discussed at length how Bennett had six tackles for a loss and two sacks last year while just splitting time on the field with Deandre Johnson. Now, though, he’s a full-time starter, and with that comes expectations. Derrick Ansley will be sending him on lots of blitzes, and it’s up to him to validate the arrival of new outside linebackers coach Shelton Felton.

South Carolina’s new starting quarterback, Collin Hill, is a guy famous for his big arm. As a result, while the Gamecocks will likely play conservative, when they do throw it, they will look for Hill to throw it deep down the field. That means Bennett getting a pass rush is crucial. He doesn’t want to give Hill time to get those throws off.

So far, Pruitt has lamented the lack of a pass rush this offseason. Bennett is supposed to be that next guy in line, and he’s got an immediate test. If he doesn’t come through on Saturday, the Vols will be in serious trouble. UT needs him to step up in a big way.