Tennessee hopes to keep things rolling against South Carolina

After alternating wins and losses through the month of October, Tennessee will look to string together consecutive victories for the first time in 2015 when South Carolina visits Neyland Stadium on Saturday (4 p.m. ET, SECN).

The Volunteers (4-4, 2-3 SEC) should have plenty of momentum, coming off a 52-21 pasting of Kentucky in Lexington last week.

South Carolina, on the other hand, will be trying to bounce back from a close-but-not-quite effort in a 35-28 loss at Texas A&M.

The Gamecocks (3-5, 1-5) are entering their third game under interim coach Shawn Elliott and, while they’ve shown a bit more energy and effort, the same issues that plagued them under Steve Spurrier are still readily apparent.

It doesn’t take a coach’s eye to know how to attack the Gamecocks defense. South Carolina ranks last in the SEC — and 112th nationally — against the run, allowing almost 5.4 yards per carry and just over 215 yards per game.

You have to believe that Tennessee quarterback Joshua Dobbs watched the tape from last week’s game where Texas A&M’s mobile quarterback, Kyler Murray, ran at will against the Gamecocks. It will be interesting to see if South Carolina co-defensive coordinators Lorenzo Ward and Jon Hoke can make an adjustment after that performance.

On the other side of the ball, G.A. Mangus has adjusted well to play-calling duties under Elliott. The Gamecocks have set season-highs for total yards in each of his first two games at the controls.

Still, inconsistent play from the quarterback position has been an issue all season for South Carolina. Connor Mitch, Lorenzo Nunez and Perry Orth have all made starts at the position, with Orth seemingly entrenched as the starter — for now.

Orth had his best game last week against the Aggies, but a third-quarter pick-six was a back-breaking play that ultimately provided Texas A&M with its margin of victory.

Las Vegas has installed the Volunteers as a 16.5-point favorite, but getting a win on Saturday will take Tennessee’s best effort.

Hopefully this season’s peaks and valleys have taught a young Tennessee squad not to take anything for granted.

SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS CLOSER LOOK

Top player, overall: Pharoh Cooper, Jr. WR — When South Carolina takes to the air, Cooper will be the first option. The junior wideout is having another standout season, despite the aforementioned quarterback issues. He’s 4th in the league in catches (44), 3rd in yards (609) and tied for 6th in touchdowns (4). He also takes the occasional hand-off and returns punts. He didn’t get quite as many touches last week as he has been, so a course correction seems to be in order for this contest. Perhaps a return of him in the Wildcat?

Top player, offense: Brandon Wilds, Sr. RB — Wilds has been a benefactor of Mangus’ play calling, piling up 41 carries for 247 yards and 2 scores in the last two games. Obviously, running the football well would be a big help for the Gamecocks. It would take the pressure off Orth and keep a suspect defense off the field as much as possible. Expect a heavy dose of No. 22 on Saturday.

Top player, defense: Skai Moore, Jr. LB — It’s easy to criticize the South Carolina defense in 2015, but it’s hard to do the same with Moore. Moore has been the heart and soul of the unit, ranking 3rd in the SEC with 83 tackles and adding a team-high 4 interceptions. He had 14 stops last week, despite battling cramps and a sore wrist for much of the second half. He’s quick, has good instincts and is equally adept at playing the run or pass.

Randy Capps

Randy Capps is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers SEC football, South Carolina and Georgia.