'20 Recruiting Forum: Official South Carolina Pregame/Game Thread

#1

nicksjuzunk

Coming home soon.
Joined
May 29, 2009
Messages
35,435
Likes
111,815
#1
Date: Saturday, September 26th
Game Time: 7:30 pm ET
Venue: Williams-Bryce Stadium, Columbia, SC
Network: SEC

1600627084098.png

Better late than never. After 6 months of worrying whether we would even HAVE a football season, we have a kick-off on the horizon. It's a little less Charlotte and a lot more South Carolina than we thought 6 month ago, but nevertheless, off we go on what will ultimately be an asterisk laden season for every team that may, or may not play. Ultimately, this year is best treated by fans as a mulligan year with as little emotional investment as possible. As soon as dreams of "SEC East Title" begin to fill our heads, the whole OL will contract COVID-19, so just be ready, and enjoy whatever we get. We may inexplicably lose some games we should win, but just might walk away with some rivalry scalps along the way. Just buckle up and enjoy the ride.

First games are always hard to predict, and none harder than in "these uncertain times :rolleyes:". I'm not really sure where to go here, so let's keep it simple.

Keys to Victory:

1. Winner at QB: I reckon having the better QB is as good a place as any. Reports are that Pruitt will have a quick trigger on JG if he is not up to snuff. Behind him is likely JT Shrout. If Shrout never throws another pass at UT, fans will always remember that beautiful bomb to Marquez Callaway last year against SC. Best case scenario, JG establishes himself as a reliable starter and plays out the season, but my confidence level is about 2/10 for that. My gut tells me we will see two QB's and Shrout just might finish out the game and not look back. South Carolina has named Colorado State graduate transfer QB their starter. He has beautiful hair, and has put up pretty big yardage when he has played. How he performs against SEC athletes is yet to be seen, but he is a capable QB. His former head coach is also his OC, so Mike Bobo knows full well how to get the most out of him. There is also concern about the Vols ability to replace their WR production a year ago. Jauan Jennings is not there to save the day this time. I'm giving the edge to South Carolina here.
1600628497613.png
1600628560271.png

2. Running Game: South Carolina lost their top 3 rushers from 2019. On top of that, their 5* freshman running back Marshawn Lloyd is out for the season with an injury. The load is going to fall on Sophomore running back Kevin Harris. Harris is talented, but Tennessee has far more depth and Eric Gray might be ready to announce his permanent presence. Clear advantage to Tennessee.

3. Fresh Meat: Tennessee has a talented group of true freshman on campus this year, and no one has generated as much hype as Jalin Hyatt, who South Carolina snubbed, Malachi Wideman and Dee Beckwith. Look for Hyatt and Wideman to make immediate contributions. Hyatt will be in Chaney's office daily this week begging for his shot to celebrate in the Gamecocks endzone. I'm no Gamecock expert, but they have recruited well recently. There may be unknown players ready to make their names known in garnet as well. Edge: Even.

4. Keep it Clean: COVID is the great equalizer. Ultimately, each team will be holding their breath (behind masks) hoping to avoid positive tests at key positions. One or two positive results in the wrong places could easily swing this game. Edge: Even

5. First Game Jitters: A lot of teams have looked strangely off in their openers this year. The Vols have had two rough openers under Pruitt, so that doesn't breed confidence. On top of that, the contact tracing protocols for COVID have interupted practice to no end. Don't be surprised if Tennessee looks sloppy. South Carolina has not looked great in their first games under Muschamp either. Look for turnovers, penalties and undesirable things on both sides of the ball. Edge: Even

Prediction:

Two defensive minded coaches with a lot to play for. Tennessee is trying to take the next step forward and Muschamp is trying to keep his job, which should be safe due to strapped AD's across the country, but you never know. I expect the game to be ugly and defensive minded. I think South Carolina is able to move the ball but can't sustain drives all the way to the endzone. I predict Tennessee will hit on big plays, but struggle to put together quality drives on the whole. Ultimately, the Vols hit enough big plays and South Carolina can't hit pay dirt enough.

Tennessee 24
South Carolina 20
 

Attachments

  • 1600628524539.png
    1600628524539.png
    33.5 KB · Views: 25
#5
#5
giphy.gif
 
#7
#7
Do we know who, if anyone, isn't gonna be available to play due to covid?
 
#12
#12
We need to come out and start the season looking like a Tennessee football team. I need to see that before I can honestly say that I have any expectations. Even if we lose, we need to look like we're capable of getting out of our own way.
 

VN Store



Back
Top