Scouting USC’s next opponent: Tennessee Volunteers
Game info
Who: South Carolina (4-2, 2-2 SEC) vs. Tennessee (3-2, 0-2)
When: Noon Saturday
Where: Neyland Stadium (102,455), Knoxville, Tenn.
TV: ESPN
Radio: 107.5 FM
Three story lines
1. South Carolina pulled just about everything together against Arkansas, and if that continues, a sputtering Vols team could be in trouble. Tennessee had a dogfight against UMass, got crushed by Georgia, and its best win is a fluky comeback against Georgia Tech. The Volunteers are vulnerable, especially with QB questions.
2. After a bad loss to Florida, a tight win against UMass and a 41-0 shutout by Georgia, it’s likely Butch Jones is not long for his job. Every win could help him, and a loss to South Carolina could lead to the third Vols coach the Gamecocks finished off.
3. South Carolina is in prime position to at least go bowling, with home dates against Vanderbilt and Wofford separating the Gamecocks from that. But Saturday represents a chance to not only move within a game of that goal but to do it by downing a preseason SEC East contender. At the moment, both the Vols and Gators look out of sorts, and beating one or both would help make up for the rough home loss to Kentucky. USC’s win against Tennessee last year put the Gamecocks on the path to the postseason.
Three players to watch
1. Junior tailback John Kelly is pretty much the dude. The 5-foot-9, 205-pounder has run for 494 yards, more than 400 ahead of any other Vols runner, and leads the team with 22 receptions and 229 yards.
2. Quarterback Quinten Dormady has not been good, but the Vols offense relies on him to be just OK. He hasn’t really been that, with a rating of 117.9, 925 yards, six touchdowns and six interceptions.
3. Linebacker Colton Jumper has 4 1/2 sacks and 33 tackles, seven for loss. He’s been big for a defense that lost a lot of talent off last year’s unit.
Scouting report
▪ The first thing that stands out about the Vols is their running offense is fine with Kelly, and the passing offense is not with Dormady. It’s unclear whether he’ll keep that job, but they’ve not gotten a lot from that.
▪ Tennessee runs more two-tight end looks than most teams, and they don’t mind mixing formations and even going two-back some of the time. They’ll also go pistol with a couple tight ends on the wings.
▪ The running game has some diversity, counter runs, inside and outside zone, and they scheme up some interesting ways to get Kelly the ball. But their best move is still to hand it to him or throw it to him.
▪ The line seems very average and had trouble pushing around a UMass team that is perennially among the worst in the land.
▪ Bob Shoop’s defense shows some nice versatility, mixing personnel groupings to match what opponents throw out. He’ll also draw up some different blitz looks.
▪ Unlike a lot of teams, Tennessee tends to play both safeties high a lot of the time. That means a defense that won’t give up big plays but will let opponents march downfield (a high-grade bend-but-don’t-break approach).
▪ Even considering that, the Vols pass rush is pretty ferocious. It slowed Georgia early and is in the top-15 in how often it gets to the quarterback.
Ben Breiner
This story was originally published October 8, 2017 at 3:53 PM with the headline "Scouting USC’s next opponent: Tennessee Volunteers."