Tennessee football faces a big first test vs. South Carolina football.
Tennessee football can’t come out flat vs. South Carolina football and expect a victory.
All offseason everybody was talking about how the Tennessee Volunteers are this close to being back. They’ve recruited well under third-year head coach Jeremy Pruitt, but are still a good ways away from putting it all together to contend with the Florida Gators and the Georgia Bulldogs for divisional supremacy, just like old times. They just can’t lose at South Carolina on Saturday.
Tennessee at South Carolina will serve as a 2020 tone-setter for both teams.
This is a critical year for both SEC East programs. For Tennessee, 2020 will have to serve as Pruitt’s “pop” year, no matter how crazy it gets. The Vols need to go 6-4, probably 7-3 with an upset victory over one of their three rivals (Alabama, Florida, Georgia) for us to know for sure Pruitt is the answered prayers to the 2010s Rocky Top Horror Show.
For South Carolina, the Gamecocks may need to push for a 5-5 record for head coach Will Muschamp to get a sixth year in Columbia. One could argue he probably should have been fired after last season’s debacle. However, a road upset over his alma mater at Georgia may have been just enough to get him that fifth year by the skin of his teeth. He knows he must win this one, too.
Tennessee’s strength this year is along the offensive line with Trey Smith and hopefully Cade Mays headlining it. Though they may have a good coaching staff, how sure are we rivals Kentucky and South Carolina don’t have better players than them? Kentucky’s offensive line is arguably the best in the SEC, while the Gamecocks defense is littered with serious NFL talent at all positions.
Again, this is when the combination of coaching and recruiting that Pruitt is supposedly all about has to come to light. He’s had success in his three previous stints as defensive coordinator (Alabama, Georgia and Florida State). However, he’s the latest Vols head coach to the chasing the ghost of Phillip Fulmer on the Tennessee sidelines. Fulmer happens to be Pruitt’s boss these days.
What makes this game so important for Tennessee is the Vols can’t go forward if they go backwards here. Though playing at Williams-Brice is always tough, that’s just part of playing in the SEC. For Tennessee to have a successful season, the Vols need to beat Kentucky, South Carolina and probably one of their four games vs. Alabama, Florida, Georgia and Texas A&M to get to 7-3.
If that is what happens for Tennessee, we can look at the Vols heading into 2021 as a threat to hang with Florida and Georgia in the SEC East. As soon as they start beating Alabama, Florida and Georgia regularly, they will be part of the SEC Championship game equation. For now, they’re hanging out with Kentucky, South Carolina and the Missouri Tigers. Where do they want to be?
Simply put, this is a game the Volunteers have to have. They are ranked No. 16 in the nation. This is probably their fourth-easiest game of the season with only Missouri, at the Arkansas Razorbacks and at the Vanderbilt Commodores being easier. If the Vols don’t win this one in Columbia, there is a chance it’ll hit the fan and they could go 3-7 or worse. Don’t let that happen.
If Tennessee is finally good again, we’ll either see it or we won’t Saturday night in primetime.
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