First look: Top story lines, betting odds for South Carolina vs Tennessee football game
South Carolina football will be on the road again for an SEC East face-off with Tennessee this Saturday in Knoxville.
The Gamecocks look to keep moving in the positive direction after eking out a 23-14 win at home against Sun Belt opponent Troy last Saturday. South Carolina hasn’t won an SEC game yet, falling to Georgia in Athens and Kentucky at home, and its defense will have its hands full this week as Tennessee has started to find an offensive groove midway through the season.
The Volunteers ran away — literally — with a convincing 62-24 win at Missouri last week, scoring on all but one drive and putting up 683 total yards of offense. Tennessee rushers combined for 458 yards on the ground, with junior running back (and Hartsville native) Tiyon Evans scoring three touchdowns with 157 yards on 15 touches, an average of 10.4 yards per carry.
Tennessee has won its two most recent meetings with South Carolina, including a close 31-27 victory in Columbia to open last year’s all-SEC slate in late September. The Gamecocks haven’t fared well in Knoxville historically, going 3-17 in their matchups played at Neyland Stadium.
How to watch South Carolina vs Tennessee football game
Who: South Carolina Gamecocks (3-2, 0-2 SEC) vs. Tennessee Volunteers (3-2, 1-1 SEC)
Where: Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn.
When: Noon Saturday
TV: ESPN2
This week’s SEC betting odds, TV times
South Carolina opened Sunday afternoon as a 12-point road underdog to Tennessee, but the line has since been moved to 10 points in most sportsbooks.
College football open point spreads, according to VegasInsider.com
- Noon: Arkansas at Ole Miss (-5)
- Noon: Vanderbilt at Florida (-39)
- Noon: South Carolina at Tennessee (-10)
- 3:30 p.m.: Georgia (-14) at Auburn
- 4 p.m.: North Texas at Missouri (-20)
- 7:30 p.m.: LSU at Kentucky (-3.5)
- 8 p.m.: Alabama (-17.5) at Texas A&M
The state of the Gamecocks
Shane Beamer told reporters Saturday night that he felt he aged 40 years during the Gamecocks’ game against Troy. With the chaos that ensued at various points throughout last week’s matchup, Beamer’s statement made perfect sense.
South Carolina’s defense remains a bright spot, ranked atop the SEC and fourth in the country with 14 turnovers, and 25th in the nation in total defense. The Gamecocks turned in their third interception returned for a touchdown against Troy. One blip will be the absence of starting defensive back R.J. Roderick in the first half, as Roderick will have to sit out the first two quarters against Tennessee after being ejected for targeting in the third quarter of the Troy game.
The offense progressed against Troy, with sophomore quarterback Luke Doty shouldering the heaviest load of his career thus far. Doty went 20-of-34 passing for 255 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions, and the Gamecocks appeared to build more of its offensive identity, getting tight ends, such as E.J. Jenkins, more involved.
A stat worth noting: In the past three weeks, South Carolina has faced three of the nation’s top 10 total defenses (No. 1 Georgia, No. 5 Troy and No. 10 Kentucky). In the same metric, Tennessee sits at 52nd in the country.
The state of the UT Vols
Tennessee got into a rhythm in its ground game against Missouri, though the Tigers’ run defense ranks dead last in the FBS. Still, the Vols annihilated Mizzou’s defensive front en route to a 458-yard day on 59 carries. Through its first five games, Tennessee averages 255 rush yards per game, good for second in the SEC.
Defensively, Tennessee isn’t as formidable as the most recent opponents South Carolina has faced, allowing an average of 339.2 yards per game. South Carolina has an opportunity to find success in the air against the Vols, ranked No. 12 in the SEC allowing 235.2 passing yards per game.
The interesting piece about Tennessee’s place is that a win over the Gamecocks could be needed to earn a bowl berth. The Vols, sitting at 3-2 through their first five games, have a tougher stretch ahead with Ole Miss, Alabama, Kentucky and Georgia after South Carolina. Closing the season with South Alabama and Vanderbilt, the Vols have a realistic road to five wins — meaning the USC game is likely key to get six wins under first-year head coach Josh Heupel.
3 Tennessee players to watch
Tiyon Evans, RB: Tennessee’s leading rusher is averaging almost 92 yards per game and has explosive play ability, breaking away for a 92-yard touchdown run against Missouri. Evans has accumulated 367 yards on 57 attempts for five touchdowns this season.
Hendon Hooker, QB: The Virginia Tech transfer is getting comfortable in Knoxville, completing 68.5% of his passes for 838 yards, 10 touchdowns and one interception after taking over in Week 2. He’s also mobile, accumulating another 216 yards on 46 attempts on the ground.
Jaylen McCollough, DB: McCollough brought in his second interception of the season against Missouri and has also deflected three passes. The 6-foot junior ranks third on the team with 15 tackles.
