All for Tennessee
Fansided

Tennessee football at South Carolina: 10 keys to the game for Vols and Gamecocks

By Caleb Calhoun

South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer saw his team fall behind early on Saturday at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn.Kns Tennessee South Carolina Football Bp
South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer saw his team fall behind early on Saturday at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn.Kns Tennessee South Carolina Football Bp /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
9 of 10
Next
Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker (5) hands the ball off to Tennessee running back Jaylen Wright (20) during the 2021 TransPerfect Music City Bowl between Tennessee and Purdue at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., on Thursday, Dec. 30, 2021.Bowl Cm 1230 11
Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker (5) hands the ball off to Tennessee running back Jaylen Wright (20) during the 2021 TransPerfect Music City Bowl between Tennessee and Purdue at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., on Thursday, Dec. 30, 2021.Bowl Cm 1230 11 /

2. Running game dominance of Vols

Here’s another huge edge Tennessee football has that South Carolina somehow has to neutralize if they are going to win this game. Even if Jabari Small is banged up, the Vols are well-positioned to dominate Shane Beamer’s team on the ground, which is the last thing you want against UT.

The Vols are only No. 28 in rush yards per game with 195.5, and they are down at No. 48 in rush yards per attempt at just over four and a half. However, the point of the run game is to lull defenses to sleep so they can hit you over the top for those huge passing plays, and Josh Heupel does a great job of sticking to it.

As a result, if you can’t stop the run, you’re in trouble. South Carolina gives up 192 yards a game, which puts their rush defense down at No. 113. They also have the No. 109 ranked rush defense in fewest yards allowed per attempt, which is well over four and a half.

Making things worse, South Carolina has been awful at containing the quarterback this year. Mobile quarterbacks have torched them on the ground. Guess what Hendon Hooker is. Somehow, they have to contain Hooker and slow down the Vols’ run game. Otherwise, this could get ugly in a heartbeat. It’ll look worse than last year.

Home/Vols Football