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Tennessee football in top half of SEC Power Rankings after Week 4

By Caleb Calhoun

COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA - SEPTEMBER 26: Defensive back Doneiko Slaughter #18 and defensive back Trevon Flowers #1 of the Tennessee Volunteers tackle wide receiver Shi Smith #13 of the South Carolina Gamecocks as defensive back Bryce Thompson #0 and defensive lineman LaTrell Bumphus #88 of the Tennessee Volunteers look on during the football game at Williams-Brice Stadium on September 26, 2020 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Mike Comer/Getty Images)
COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA - SEPTEMBER 26: Defensive back Doneiko Slaughter #18 and defensive back Trevon Flowers #1 of the Tennessee Volunteers tackle wide receiver Shi Smith #13 of the South Carolina Gamecocks as defensive back Bryce Thompson #0 and defensive lineman LaTrell Bumphus #88 of the Tennessee Volunteers look on during the football game at Williams-Brice Stadium on September 26, 2020 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Mike Comer/Getty Images) /
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Photo by Mike Comer/Getty Images
Photo by Mike Comer/Getty Images /

6. team. 839. . 1-0. . Volunteers

Defeated South Carolina Gamecocks 31-27

Who would have thought Tennessee football would have the longest winning streak among Power Five teams at this point? The Vols have won seven straight dating back to last year, and four of their last five games have been one-score wins away from home. Jeremy Pruitt has taught this team how to win in crunch time, and that’s a big deal.

Beating the South Carolina Gamecocks on the road was a major accomplishment. The Vols found new weapons in Josh Palmer and Brandon Johnson, and Deandre Johnson looks like he can replace Darrell Taylor while Henry To’o To’o is picking up right where he left off. All of these players give this team plenty of reason for excitement the rest of the way.

However, there are still some concerns. Jarrett Guarantano once again struggled with accuracy. Without Shawn Shamburger, South Carolina torched their pass defense using Shi Smith. It took a pick-six by To’o To’o and a fumbled punt on a crucial mistake by Cam Smith at the end of the game for the Vols to be able to secure this extremely close victory.

If the pass defense and Guarantano’s accuracy don’t improve, these guys could be in trouble. They should win this upcoming week’s game against the Missouri Tigers, but they have plenty of tough tests the rest of the way, including the Georgia Bulldogs on the road Oct. 10. Even with this win, finishing any better than 5-5 is still an uphill climb at this point.

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