Five burning questions for USC-Tennessee: Will we still be talking about the refs?
South Carolina football heads to Knoxville this weekend to face Tennessee, looking to win for the third time in four games and take the next step towards bowl eligibility. The Gamecocks are 4.5-point favorites over the Volunteers, one of the few times they’ve been road favorites against UT over the past quarter-century.
With Tennessee and coach Jeremy Pruitt facing quarterback questions and disappointment over their 2-5 start, here are the main questions facing USC and coach Will Muschamp.
Can Ryan Hilinski recapture his accuracy?
When freshman QB Ryan Hilinski stepped in for injured senior Jake Bentley, he immediately flashed the ability that made him one of the most highly-touted prospects of the Muschamp era. In particular, his accuracy was pinpoint against Charleston Southern and Alabama.
Since then, he’s regressed, with the exception of a solid first half against Georgia before an injury knocked him out of the game. Last week against Florida, he missed several deep shots, completed just eight of his first 22 attempts and averaged under five yards per attempt. While Muschamp was firm in saying afterward that Hilinski was not the only one to blame for those struggles, he must be more efficient and better overall against the Vols.
Will Tavien Feaster and Mon Denson repeat their Florida performance?
Muschamp has confirmed that starting senior running back Rico Dowdle will miss this game with a sprained knee, and senior A.J. Turner, who returned to the running backs room after spending the first half of the year with the defensive backs, is likely out with a hamstring injury. Freshman Kevin Harris is already out for most of the year with a torn ligament.
That leaves seniors Tavien Feaster and Mon Denson, who put up good numbers against Florida last Saturday. With no real backup to speak of, the two tailbacks will have to carry a heavy load, especially if Hilinski struggles. Muschamp admitted that the run game really carried the Gamecocks against UF, and Carolina almost came away with an upset because of it. Another strong outing would go a long way on the road.
Whoever Tennessee starts, can the D-line dominate once more?
Tennessee’s quarterback situation is in flux, with freshman starter Brian Maurer “doubtful” with a concussion, veteran Jarrett Guarantano in the doghouse after a disastrous mishap against Alabama and redshirt freshman J.T. Strout having extremely limited experience.
But whoever the Vols put under center, the Gamecocks need to make his afternoon miserable. Senior Javon Kinlaw admitted he “left plays out there” against Florida, and in crucial moments, USC’s D-line just couldn’t quite finish. Senior edge rusher D.J. Wonnum has a track record of success against UT — four sacks in the past two years. If he can keep up that pace Saturday and the defensive line plays like it did against Georgia, Tennessee will be in trouble.
Are we in for another tight UT-USC battle?
Over the last seven meetings in this series, the average score has been South Carolina 27.3, Tennessee 26.3. Neither team has won by more than six points in that time. Simply put, when the Gamecocks and Volunteers meet, things get tense.
And that’s held true even as the two programs have put together wildly different seasons on the field, from Steve Spurrier’s heyday to Butch Jones’ brief peak in 2015 and 2016 to Will Muschamp’s mastery the past three years. Pruitt and Muschamp are similar, defensive-minded coaches, both from the Nick Saban coaching tree. If last year’s first meeting between the two is any indication, we’ll get another nail-biter.
Will the referees be the main storyline again?
For both South Carolina and Tennessee, officiating was a major point of contention last week, and that frustration has continued throughout this week as the SEC took several days to address the controversy and then did so in extremely general terms.
With that in mind, all eyes will be on the referees this Saturday. Any borderline or questionable call will be dissected and bemoaned by the respective fan bases, and you can be sure Muschamp and Pruitt will make their displeasure known as needed. At the same time, if the players are worried about how the game is called or still frustrated from last week, that could have an impact on the field.
