KNOXVILLE, Tenn — No. 16 Tennessee will begin its conference-only football season with a road game against South Carolina on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. and you can watch the game on SEC Network.
This will be one of 10 regular season games Tennessee is scheduled to play this season against the SEC. Initially, the Vols were slated to begin the season on Sept. 5 with a home game against Charlotte, but the COVID-19 pandemic facilitated a shift in the college football world.
Tennessee enters its third season under head coach Jeremy Pruitt with higher expectations than in year's past. The Vols were picked by the media to finish third in the SEC East behind Florida and Georgia. The Vols are currently riding a 6-game winning streak that dates back to the midway point of the 2019 season. The last time Tennessee won at least six games in a row was the 2015-2016 season, when UT stitched together the end and beginning of two separate seasons to win 11-straight games.
The Vols currently sit at No. 16 in the AP Poll, which is the highest spot for Tennessee since Oct. 15, 2016.
Here's a look at some major points of interest for Tennessee's first game of the season:
LAST TIME WE MET
Tennessee handed South Carolina a 41-21 loss in 2019 in Neyland Stadium. J.T. Shrout started at quarterback, going 7/11 for 122 yards and one touchdown. Jarrett Guarantano replaced Shrout behind center, going 11/19 for 229 yards and two touchdowns. The quarterback actually broke a bone in his wrist against South Carolina, but didn't miss anytime with the injury. Wide receiver Jauan Jennings set a new career-high with 174 receiving yards on seven catches, including two touchdowns. Marquez Callaway added three catches and 102 yards as well, which doesn't even include a punt return touchdown in the second quarter to give Tennessee the lead. This win marked the beginning of Tennessee's current six-game win streak.
STARTING FOR THE TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS...
There are always question marks with the starting lineup in week one, this year is no exception. Tennessee's coaching staff still has some decisions to make before the game gets started:
-Tight end: Redshirt senior Princeton Fant, redshirt freshman Sean Brown and redshirt sophomore Jacob Warren are all listed as potential starters with veteran Austin Pope likely to miss the season. The three combined for three catches last season.
-Left tackle: Sophomore Wanya Morris and redshirt senior Jahmir Johnson are the options here. Head coach Jeremy Pruitt said Morris missed time during fall camp because of contact tracing protocols.
-Running back: Who starts is really more of a technicality here. Both Ty Chandler and Eric Gray should play an important role in the offense.
-Nose Tackle: Senior Aubrey Solomon or redshirt sophomore Kurott Garland. Solomon, like Morris, missed time because of contact tracing. If he starts and how much he plays will depend on how caught up and ready he is.
-Defensive end: This comes down to senior LaTrell Bumphus or redshirt sophomore Greg Emerson. Both players recorded two sacks last season. Bumphus finished with six tackles for loss, while Emerson had four.
-Middle linebacker: Sophomore Quavaris Crouch or junior Jeremy Banks. Banks returned to the team this offseason after being dismissed in the fall of 2019. Crouch moved from outside linebacker to inside linebacker this offseason.
-Kick return: Redshirt senior grad transfer Velus Jones Jr. or junior Byrce Thompson. Important to note, Jones Jr. found a lot of success in the Pac-12 as a kick returner.
-Punt return: Thompson or sophomore Eric Gray. While Thompson has returned a kickoff four times in his career at Tennessee, he's never returned a punt. Gray returned two punts for Tennessee last season, averaging six yards a return.
WILL CADE MAYS PLAY?
The former Knox Catholic star and Georgia Bulldog transfer was finally given his eligibility from the NCAA, but that was just step one of two. In order to play for the Vols, whether it be against South Carolina or at any point in the season, he must get his eligibility approved by the SEC. Transferring within the conference could prove to be a problem for Mays.
"I’ve said numerous times what a great job Greg (Sankey) has done leading us through this pandemic," Pruitt said earlier in the week. "I just know about Cade and I know that he’s met with lots of professionals and it was submitted to the NCAA and they felt like he needed to play this year. Nobody from the SEC has contacted us and asked to meet with Cade."
"In my opinion, we have to sit back and really look and see what really is the right thing to do here.”
Of course, having a player of Mays' caliber on the offensive line makes Tennessee very dangerous. Fortunately, the line has improved as a whole. Should Mays not be able to play, the offensive line still will be one of the best groups UT has played with in years.
JEREMY PRUITT AND MIKE BOBO
Pruitt and new South Carolina offensive coordinator Mike Bobo go way back. The two played each other in college, coached with each other at Georgia and have coached against each other as well.
"I loved working with him. We’ll get after each other on Saturday and probably talk a little trash during the summertime," Pruitt said.
Being the first game with a new offensive coordinator, that tends to have the possibility of going two ways - an offense struggles to gel with new players and new schemes or the defense is caught completely off guard by new looks. Fortunately for the Gamecocks, they have a quarterback who knows a thing or two about what Bobo likes. Redshirt senior grad transfer Collin Hill was named the starter over last year's QB1, Ryan Hilinski. Hill has played his whole career under Bobo, going back to his previous stint, as the head coach at Colorado State. Hill has shown some ability, but has struggled to say healthy, tearing his ACL three times, most recently in the fall of 2019.
COVID-19
Unfortunately, the virus will leave its mark on the game and the season. At Williams-Brice Stadium, masks will be mandatory while entering and moving around the stadium. Social distancing will be enforced in seating areas and common areas. Fairgrounds and parking will only be available to those with tickets as well, since tailgating is discouraged. The stadium will seat approximately 20,000 fans compared to the available capacity of 77,559.
The actual game will directly be impacted as well. The SEC initially committed to a minimum of two PCR COVID-19 tests per week during times of competition for football. It will now include, "a third rapid diagnostic test" which will be performed each week close to competition for sports with a high risk of close contact.
Tennessee is allowed to bring 70 players for away games and depth will be a major concern. Earlier in the week, Pruitt announced the team would no longer be releasing information on the number of players impacted by the COVID-19 or contact tracing.
"When it comes to what our numbers will be for Saturday, I'm not sure that it's fair for the kids that are going to play to release that just from a competitive standpoint," Pruitt said.
So what this means is there is always the potential for a late-day surprise when it comes to starting lineups or players available. We've seen it happen with plenty of college football teams this year, where expected starters are suddenly out or even entire position groups are unable to play.
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