It’s safe to say the South Carolina Gamecocks are a program in transition right now. When they face Tennessee football Saturday. However, history shows that with a first-year head coach, they have the Vols right were they want them.
For some reason, whenever South Carolina is entering a new era, they always give UT trouble the first year of that new era. Their previous two full-time head coaches, Will Muschamp and Steve Spurrier, both beat the Vols in their first season despite the Vols being favored in those games.
Just five years ago, Tennessee football was 5-2 and coming off a bye. It was pretty obvious the Vols would win the SEC East. However, they were upset by a South Carolina team led by Jake Bentley, who should have been in high school at the time, at quarterback.
That lost pushed UT’s losing streak to three games at the time, cost them the SEC East and allowed Muschamp to make a bowl his first year in Columbia, S.C., which is why he had the strong start. It also started the downward spiral that resulted in Butch Jones’ firing a year later.
Back in 2005, the Vols were already struggling at 3-3 despite starting the year No. 3 nationally. But they were set to retire Peyton Manning’s jersey as they hosted South Carolina Spurrier’s first year on the job. They lost 16-15, part of what was a four-game losing streak that would result in them missing out on a bowl game for the first time in 17 years at the time.
New head coaches aren’t the only way South Carolina beats the Vols entering new eras. Let’s go back to 1992. Just like 2016, Rocky Top was 5-2 and on a two-game losing streak. They were still in control of their own destiny to win the SEC East in the inaugural year of the division, though, and they were set to visit a 2-5 South Carolina team.
The Gamecocks somehow pulled off the upset 24-23, as the Vols, in attempt to avoid a tie, failed to convert a two-point play after scoring a late touchdown. That year just happened to be South Carolina’s first year in the SEC, and it resulted in Johnny Majors’ firing. Majors had returned in the fourth game that year after UT started 3-0 and upset the Florida Gators and Georgia Bulldogs.
By the way, the end of the Majors era is the other thing South Carolina does. They end eras for Tennessee football. We mentioned how they began the downward spiral of Jones. Well, 16 years after causing the firing of Majors, his successor, Phillip Fulmer, was also fired the Monday after losing to South Carolina.
No era will end on Rocky Top Saturday when the two face off, but Beamer will definitely be trying to recreate the magic of South Carolina when it faces UT while entering a new era. The Vols need to pay attention to history to avoid that. To provide even more alarming data, UT is a double-digit favorite this time around for the first time since…2016.
Of course, Tennessee football has had its own success against South Carolina with first-year head coaches. Jones upset South Carolina 23-21, costing them the SEC East in the best team they ever had as they finished in the top 5 that year with an 11-2 record, back in 2013. Lane Kiffin’s only top 25 win his only year at UT was at home against South Carolina, when they wore the black jerseys.
These two haven’t faced off with first-year head coaches on both sides since 1916. That year, John R. Bender led UT to a 26-0 win, its first victory ever over the Gamecocks at the time, en route to an 8-0-1 record and a share of the SIAA Championship, their second in three years.
No title is in store this year for Tennessee football, but they still have a lot to play for, and beating South Carolina is key to that. If they aren’t careful, though, the opportunities of what they could be playing for could fade real fast on Saturday.