Tennessee burned South Carolina’s secondary last year. What’s key to stopping it now
Jaycee Horn hasn’t forgotten the last time South Carolina football went against Tennessee.
As a cornerback, the junior would be hard pressed to forget. The Gamecock secondary was carved up by the Volunteer attack in the second half of a 41-21 defeat. Senior receivers Jauan Jennings and Marquez Callaway combined for 10 receptions, 276 yards and three touchdowns, and UT totaled 13 chunk plays of either 15 or more yards passing or 10 or more yards running.
And as the Gamecocks prepare to square off with Tennessee again to open the 2020 season, Horn gave a mixed indication of how much last year’s game weighs on the unit.
“It stuck with us, obviously, as a secondary. We gave a good bit of yards and plays,” Horn said. “But I mean, we’re not really thinking about last year. It’s a whole new year, a whole new team, new defense, so we’re just locked in, we’re trying to lock in game one and go out there and put our best football on the field.”
It’s true that Jennings and Callaway are now in the NFL, leaving the Vols thinner at the receiving position. But they still have offensive coordinator Jim Chaney, whose schemes can play tricks on defensive backs, Horn said.
“A lot of motions, a lot of shifts, over routes, stuff like that, just stuff to mess up the communication in the secondary,” Horn said of Chaney’s system, predicting they’ll try it again given how well it worked last season. “And it’s easy to leave a guy running free with the offense they run. So, just staying focus the whole game and playing with discipline (is key).”
Tennessee also returns quarterback Jarrett Guarantano, who has had an up-and-down ride in Knoxville but torched the Gamecocks last season with 11-of-19 passing for 229 yards and two touchdowns.
That’s more than 12 yards per pass attempt, a mark which would have led the country last year. That inability to control explosive plays was crucial.
“You had seven passing plays of 20 yards or more in the game,” coach Will Muschamp said. “It’s very difficult to win when you’re able to use vertical field position as far as that’s concerned.”
In that regard, Horn and his fellow DBs have been getting plenty of work throughout preseason camp thanks to new offensive coordinator Mike Bobo and quarterback Collin Hill, he said.
“Usually, last year, the defense was dominating practice,” Horn said. “Now, Collin is making plays. He’s talking to me and (junior cornerback Israel Mukuamu). Bobo is talking to us after practice, talking junk after practice.”
