South Carolina at Tennessee: Thoughts and Predictions

[nellanaesp]

So what does everyone think? Give your thoughts and predictions! I'll go ahead and throw mine out there. I think this will either be a hard fought game with Carolina coming out on top by a field goal (Similar to the 2005 battle), or it will be a complete blowout with Tennessee destroying the Gamecocks.

USCe- 24
UT - 21

[the Paradox]

I am not sure how much either of these teams have left in the tank. Getting smoke by Vandy @ home is never a good sign. I suspect both staffs will rebound to some extent and have their teams better prepared.

UT 23
Cocks 20

RTR

[uscrules]

I think we will defenately be the underdog in this one. I really don't know what to expect. If our offense shows up we could be in the game and possibly win, but if not it may be a long night in Knoxville for us.

[Chinaski]

31-21 Tennessee

[C_hris]

Scitzo team match- up right here.

If both teams show up it will be a good game.
That being siad

30 Tenn.
7 SCAR.

[bmwparts]

who knows?????

[scfan5338]

Scitzo team match- up right here.

If both teams show up it will be a good game.
That being siad

30 Tenn.
7 SCAR.

No way they score 30 on that defense. We might score many points but they arent scoring 30 on that D.

[STUCKNBIG10]

UT - 24

USC - 10

I think USC is showing its true colors now. UT is not a classic UT team, but they are tough at home.

[Bburton86]

Usc 24

Ut 17

[GatorNation]

Scitzo team match- up right here.

If both teams show up it will be a good game.
That being siad

30 Tenn.
7 SCAR.

I like an angry UT team at home after an embarassing loss to bama...

[C_hris]

I like an angry UT team at home after an embarassing loss to bama...


Exactly:thumpsup:

[Gator2753]

Im rooting for the Vols & think they certainly can win.
However my better senses tell me Carolina will pull it off.

[lacene]

I think UT's defense has fallen back to their stumbling ways after their solid showing against UGA: they've allowed both MSU and UA to record their best offensive performances against SEC opponents this season in the last 2 games.

USC's offense played the worst they have thus far this season, against ANY opponent, and their rushing offense is flatlining.

Hard for me to say who wins this. I think our offense will get untracked against UT, and our defense - which has played superbly all season - will hold the Vols down enough for the Gamecock win.

Either that, or both teams finally lose it and canabalize the fans in attendance...

USC: 28
UT: 20

[C_hris]

I think UT's defense has fallen back to their stumbling ways after their solid showing against UGA: they've allowed both MSU and UA to record their best offensive performances against SEC opponents this season in the last 2 games.

USC's offense played the worst they have thus far this season, against ANY opponent, and their rushing offense is flatlining.

Hard for me to say who wins this. I think our offense will get untracked against UT, and our defense - which has played superbly all season - will hold the Vols down enough for the Gamecock win.

Either that, or both teams finally lose it and canabalize the fans in attendance...

USC: 28
UT: 20

That got me thinking when I heard the score. I didnt watch the game as I said before. But was you guys defense that bad or was the Georgia offense that bad when you played us. Cause I thought you guys played a hell of a game against us.

[Darren]

Tenn. will blitz us all day long. We will be lucky to finish with 2 more wins. Vols 34 USC 10

[gatorunvrsty]

Both teams are coming off embarrassing, unexpected losses, so that's a push. Playing on the orange Purina field favors UT. Spurrier's ability to make adjustments after a loss can't be overlooked. And, Spurrier's history with Fulmer can't be, either. Team talent is about equal. I'll say USC over UT 30-27.

[lacene]

Early line has UT -3, and over/under at 52....

[GatorBait15]

17-20 usc..

[D^3]

I'll take UT over USC, for no other reason than that it's on Rocky Top.


UT - 30
USC- 17

[U-Dub Gamecock]

Man.. our offensive line couldnt bust a grape right now.. Tennessee has shown flashes of being a very good team.. Until our O-Line and QB play gets better.. I cant pick us to beat anyone...

Tennessee 27
South Carolina 14

[scfan5338]

I'll take UT over USC, for no other reason than that it's on Rocky Top.


UT - 30
USC- 17

Plus the fact that you absolutely hate SC, but yeah.

UT-24
SC-10

[D^3]

Plus the fact that you absolutely hate SC, but yeah.

UT-24
SC-10

Actually I hate UT more. But I would reference you to the "Georgia vs. Florida WLOCP" thread to witness true hatred. USC doesn't even get a respectable amount of hate when compared to the Gators.

[U-Dub Gamecock]

Hell.. I love Carolina.. and I think we have little chance of winning this weekend.. Kinda hard to pick a team that just got beat down by Vandy in their own yard

[GeauxTo]

This could go either way, for sure. Home field to Rock Top; superlative coaching to the Cocks. If Ainge gets hot, he could burn the whiny clucks; otherwise, old Darth Visor will probably come up with the win.

[Bburton86]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a0/Foghorn_Leghorn.png

This guy gets the best of Smokey.

[lacene]

http://members.aol.com/HowardSays/foghorn/foghorn_.gif

The Gamecocks will catch ole Smokey napping this Saturday!!

[sheluvsbama]

13-10 UT. I think it will be a nail-biter.

[GetEmGamecocks]

Despite their horrible loss to Vandy, SC will win against Tennesee. People tend to forget that we show up for big games. Remember last year? SC was a hair away from beating the mighty Gators. We are a much better team now, and WILL bounce back from that loss and control the East.
Cory Boyd should get some much-deserved hand-offs this Saturday. Spurrier has to know this. We could have ran Vandy into the ground, but at Tenn, SC's rushing game should open up some big passes for the freshman QB Smelley. The defense will play like they have all year, no question there.
Spurrier must find ways around relying on a horrible offensive line. We must get Tenn's D line tired with running plays in order to pass the ball well.

Oh yea, 24-17 Go Cocks.

[razorhead]

Spurrier doesn't lose to Fulmer.

[GetEmGamecocks]

Oh yea, and I hate the fact that SC fans are picking UT. Come on, now. This is college football!

???????

[raptorcox]

USC...... 3
TN........ 2

Thank God for an outstanding FG kicker as he hits a 65 yarder.......

[Kevhugh]

USC...... 3
TN........ 2

Thank God for an outstanding FG kicker as he hits a 65 yarder.......

The two points for UT does come from sacking Mitchell in the endzone right??? :dry:

[raptorcox]

The two points for UT does come from sacking Mitchell in the endzone right??? :dry:

You got it.

Crazy thing about it is that the LOS was around the 15 yard line..... :ohmy:

[lacene]

You got it.

Crazy thing about it is that the LOS was around the 15 yard line..... :ohmy:

and they say Blake isn't a mobile QB..... :laugh:

[raptorcox]

Seriously, I understand that some QB's are natural runners and are more mobile than other QB's, but it seems to me that when you are about to be hit by numerous 300+ lb linemen that some survival instinct would kick in and make every QB mobile.

I watched Blake repeatedly just stand there and get nailed from all directions in the Vandy game and I can't help but wonder where his "survival instincts" are.

Sad thing is, Smelley isn't much better.

[UKat]

I think Spurs lights a fire under his players arses and the Cocks come away with the win

USCe 24
UT 17

[CatScratchFever]

I like tennessee in a close one. 17-14

[azamugg]

who knows?????

oh, the Shadow knows

[Gamecocks4Ever]

but at Tenn, SC's rushing game should open up some big passes for the freshman QB Smelley.
Oh yea, 24-17 Go Cocks.

Uh, big passes only if McKinley keeps getting open. Our QB could have 30 seconds to throw and noone else will.

[tennesseegirl]

Spurrier doesn't lose to Fulmer.

He did last year.:thumpsup: but not this year.:sad:

[Born-n-RaisedVol]

Before saturday I was looking forward to this game more than anyone, I guess thats what us fans get for overlooking a team. After the shellacking bama put on us I'm honestly scared going into saturday. Convention would say its a close one, but with the way UTs defense has been playing anyone can put up some points. So I say that someone will win on a last second field goal. Final score: 41-38. Who knows, it could happen

[raptorcox]

I just don't see either team scoring near 40 points.....

Everyone said that Kentucky was so powerful and that no one would keep them down, but USC did.

I also have zero faith in the USC offense, even against a very average defense.

I am thinking it will be lower scoring than the masses think.

[M2J]

I actually have Tennessee winning at home. I think they get 30 to 24.

[Tennessee Ted]

Spurrier doesn't lose to Fulmer.

True we don't fair well against him, but we beat him in 1998, 2001, and last year. I suspect this will be another win for us, but who knows.

I can't imagine our defense playing any worse than last week. I would hope we rebound at home, but in this crazy season anything is bound to happen.

I am picking UT 24-21.

[Tennessee Ted]

USC...... 3
TN........ 2

Thank God for an outstanding FG kicker as he hits a 65 yarder.......

Demonte Bolden gets the sack for UT. Only UT player to have his named called out more than once last Saturday.

[Born-n-RaisedVol]

I just don't see either team scoring near 40 points.....

Everyone said that Kentucky was so powerful and that no one would keep them down, but USC did.

I also have zero faith in the USC offense, even against a very average defense.

I am thinking it will be lower scoring than the masses think.

I can't honestly say that I expect either team to score near 40 either its just that I really don't know what to expect from this UT team anymore.

I have zero faith in the UT defense and I don't know whether to expect our pee-wee tacklers or for a defense more like the one against UGA to show up.

[Bongo]

After watching the Vandy tape that's what i would do. I'd like to see the Cocks get a little different and maybe direct snap to Mike Davis to take advantage of the aggressive defense. lord knows our QBs cant dodge a rush

[Poppycock]

This ought to be some interesting game with USC's poor offense and UT's poor defense and USC's excellent defense and UT's excellent offense. It may come down to who is the luckiest that night. Go Gamecocks!!!

[FanSmack]

If SC had won last week, I would want them to continue to win until they played UF. Now I would like them to lose for UF's sake of claiming the SEC east. I would like them to win on Nov 3 (if they play that week)... if they don't play next week, I want them to win as I don't want SC coming into the game against UF with two losses.

[M2J]

This ought to be some interesting game with USC's poor offense and UT's poor defense and USC's excellent defense and UT's excellent offense. It may come down to who is the luckiest that night. Go Gamecocks!!!

I think this will be a close game in the mid 20s-30s. I believe both teams weaknesses can step up enough at times, especially a big game like this, to keep the game close.

[GamecockDieHard]

If SC had won last week, I would want them to continue to win until they played UF. Now I would like them to lose for UF's sake of claiming the SEC east. I would like them to win on Nov 3 (if they play that week)... if they don't play next week, I want them to win as I don't want SC coming into the game against UF with two losses.

Our schedule: at Tennessee, at Arkansas, Florida, Bye week, cLIMPson.

Florida is the toughest game we have left to play. If we lose to UT and Ark, then we'll be 0-3 going into the Florida game, and may not win again this season.

Vandy played error-free for the most part and we made errors on every series, if not most plays. Hopefully, our team will find some pride and, at least, play smart football, win or lose. Our problem isn't isolated or the result of overlooking Vandy. It started in the 2nd quarter against UNC. We won that game, but everyone commented how it felt like we lost it. We saw our team collapse and we know what that looks like. We hoped what we saw in Chapel Hill was temporary, but it continued and got even worse against Vandy.

If we had played well for the entire game against UNC, then this performance against Vandy wouldn't be so foreboding. Unless we come out strong against Tennessee, we'll be lucky to win another game. If we come out and continue making mental mistakes, we'll embarrass ourselves.

I'm hoping we fell into a slump and we'll have what it takes to climb back up. Gamecocks: 15 UT: 13

[GatorNation]

Seriously, I understand that some QB's are natural runners and are more mobile than other QB's, but it seems to me that when you are about to be hit by numerous 300+ lb linemen that some survival instinct would kick in and make every QB mobile.


LOL....funny stuff.

[BAMAPERRY]

I think Tennessee wins. Phattys hot seat has never been hotter.

[Sabanocchio]

If we would have beaten Bama, I think this one would be a toss-up in my eyes. But with as poorly as USC looked against Vandy and this team hungry to prove how good it is, I think you see a whoopin' akin to the one we laid on Georgia.

[nellanaesp]

If we would have beaten Bama, I think this one would be a toss-up in my eyes. But with as poorly as USC looked against Vandy and this team hungry to prove how good it is, I think you see a whoopin' akin to the one we laid on Georgia.

I think Carolina is just as hungry to prove themselves too, that's why I say this one goes down to the wire.

[GEATHERSFAN]

South Carolina will rebound after a ugly Vandy Game and stay atop of the SECE.

[cocky87]

SCAR - 28
UT- 21

Leave Smelly in the *$#&#& GAME! Spurrier better not alternate between QB's this
weekend or we will have the same result that happend against vandy....

[Hungryneck]

Seriously, I understand that some QB's are natural runners and are more mobile than other QB's, but it seems to me that when you are about to be hit by numerous 300+ lb linemen that some survival instinct would kick in and make every QB mobile.

I watched Blake repeatedly just stand there and get nailed from all directions in the Vandy game and I can't help but wonder where his "survival instincts" are.

Sad thing is, Smelley isn't much better.

How many times before this year did Mitchell try to get out of trouble only to compound problems by losing the football trying to avoid the tackle? Was it 5 or 6? At some point a coach has to step in and say 'don't do that'. There's your answer, seriously.

[Poppycock]

SCAR - 28
UT- 21

Leave Smelly in the *$#&#& GAME! Spurrier better not alternate between QB's this
weekend or we will have the same result that happend against vandy....

If I'm not mistaken Spurrier has alternated QB's for years and been quite successful doing so. I wouldn't question what Steve Spurrier does at this point. We could never out coach him, don't even try.

[GetEmGamecocks]

Uh, big passes only if McKinley keeps getting open. Our QB could have 30 seconds to throw and noone else will.

Don't forget about Cory Boyd. He is no Blake Mitchell. He hasn't had a big game yet, and I expect him to show out for this one, rushing and catching.

Either way, SC's been screwing around for two games (very rested) while Tenn just played two tough games.

Message to Ainge: look out for Eric Norwood and company

Big time hits from SC will change the game. Also, a SC quarterback should be determined to gain the #1 spot (and obviously O-liners as well)

[GetEmGamecocks]

This is a biased article, coming form The Gamecock, but here's most of it.

COMMENTARY: O-line, running backs must get back to basics if USC is to contend for SEC - NCAA Football - Yahoo! Sports (http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaf/news?slug=uwire-commentaryolinerunningback&prov=uwire&type=lgns) :

So what can Carolina do to solve their recent offensive woes?

They can start by finding an offensive line and sticking with them. History has shown time and time again that when teams consistently start the same five players along the offensive line, they have success, largely due to the fact that the linemen are able to develop chemistry working together as a cohesive unit.

USC has done anything but that. It's been musical chairs week in and week out for the USC offensive line, and that's a trend that needs to stop. Find your five guys and stick with them. When USC played Vanderbilt this time last year, they found a group and stuck with them the rest of the season-something that allowed USC to finish the season with three straight victories, including a victory against in-state rival Clemson.

One player who I believe has to be a part of this group is sophomore left guard Garrett Anderson. For some unbeknownst reason, the Irmo native has fallen out of the mix in recent weeks, being replaced by redshirt freshman Seaver Brown.

Why should Anderson play? In his first two years at USC, South Carolina has won 83 percent of the games when Anderson started, compared to just 60 percent when he didn't. The running game also has also benefited from Anderson's play, rushing for an average of 155 yards in his starts, compared to just 120 yards without him in the lineup.

Not only should the line remain consistent, but the number of carries the running backs get should be consistent as well. Cory Boyd is averaging 5 yards a carry this season, but for some reason he was only given the ball five times against Vanderbilt.

Spurrier said this was due to facing a large point deficit.

Sorry coach, but I don't buy that. True, USC was down 17-0, but it wasn't even the end of the first quarter before this happened. There was plenty of time to run the ball. I stick by my prediction that if Boyd was given the ball 17 to 20 times against the Commodores, Carolina would have emerged victorious.

Mike Davis also needs to play an integral role in the Cock 'n Fire offense. Before the North Carolina game, Davis had averaged 66 yards per game through the first six games, a number greatly damaged by only amassing ten total rushing yards against a stout LSU defense.

However, Davis has only rushed the ball 11 times in the past two games. If USC wants to get back on the winning track, these two running backs have to get more touches.

The biggest consistency that must be shown on the offense has to be at the quarterback position. Rotating Smelley and Mitchell in and out when one of them struggles is not the answer. All it does is affect their confidence. Find a quarterback and stick with him through thick and thin.

So can the USC offense turn it around? I believe they will.

But only time, and consistency, will tell.

[WayzUp]

The Cocks need to run the ball with success early and often & don't abandon the ground game if we fall behind by a score early. Until our OL can learn to pass block with any consistency (would help if we did ever keep the same 5 guys in there...that's another post altogether), I think passing with Smelley, Mithcell or any of our QBs more than 25 times is pure lunacy; ESPECIALLY when you take into account that we have two very solid backs in Boyd & Davis that we've vastly under-utilized quite often this year.

Turnovers will be key as they always are....the team with more turnovers is not going to win this game. Field position will probably go hand-in-hand with special teams so contain on coverage and/or the ability to break a few long returns will play a role too, just a gut feeling.

I don't see us getting too much pressure on Ainge as he usually does a great job getting rid of the ball & I expect to see more 3 and 5 step drops to not give Norwood & Co. time to get to him, much less sack him.

UT's defense doesn't inspire a whole lot of fear in me but they do have all the playmakers they need to give us fits if we play into their hands so I'm hoping our coaching staff has a good gameplan & doesn't ask our QB (whoever it is) to win the game for us. Our WRs are too young and our offensive line too pourous to play catchup against a team that can move the ball like UT when they're on.

In general, I see a defensive battle where UT's D looks better than it usually does, ours looks like it normally does and to the better running attack goes the win. It's those unpredictable plays, injuries, bad calls, turnovers and other things that might decide this one. I don't think there's much of a chance of a blowout either way.

USC - 23
UT - 21

[DELTOR]

Tenn will rush just 4 all day. We will have 6 blocking. We get sacked close to double digits. Sorry, just speaking the truth.

[lacene]

The Cowturd picked USC to beat Tennessee this morning on his show......



IMO, it depends on what type of offense shows up. South Carolina has played well enough offensively at times this season to beat Tennessee. Of course, lately they have not played well enough at all. The question is, will the recent play of the offense get the team angry with itself, and inspire them to play with more fire and desire? You would've thought that this would happen after the UNC 2nd half, but it didn't. Or will our recent failings cause our offense to lose confidense in themselves, and get hang-dog? Hopefully, our team's senior leadership gets the team together for a heart-to-heart talk amongst themelves, and re-establish what their goals are for this season.

I know our defense will be fired up. They have in fact been getting better and better as the season progressed: it's not their fault that they were starting out the 2nd and 3rd series of the Vandy game on their own 24-yd line. They shut Vandy down to just a TD the rest of the 3.5 quarters of football, despite our other QB sacks and INT's, and the fact that Vandy had an average start of possession around the 50-yard line all day long. Our run defense has improved drastically: the last 4 games, we allowed under 140 yards rushing a game, and TN is tied with Vandy for the 68th ranked run offense in the nation. USC has the #1 pass D and #5 pass efficiency D in the nation, so I think we should be able to play well against the Vols' passing attack.

It will all come down to how well our offense in general, and our O-line in particular, responds this Saturday. We should get a good bead on the game early by how enthusiastic they come out to start: if our O moves across the field, and scores in the initial possession; if our QB is able to complete a pass or two initially without being pressured early....

[GeauxTo]

I don't think Spurrier can stomach a loss to the Vols, even if he has to suit-up and play himself.

[lacene]

I don't think Spurrier can stomach a loss to the Vols, even if he has to suit-up and play himself.

You didn't hear about his presser yesterday? He plans to dress out in pads Saturday....

[U-Dub Gamecock]

LOL!! Id rather have SOS on the O-Line than that drunk Sorensen!!

[GTmorris1970]

I expect a low scoring, fist pounding game. Probably under 20 for both teams. Not picking a winner. Could go either way.

[U-Dub Gamecock]

I agree.. we win a game if the score is in the teens.. We cant win a 31-28 game (The score last year)

[scfan5338]

We all know Spurrier loves to beat UT. His QB's rarely play two straight bad games in a year and I think that will stick. Anderson needs to get some playing time on the line and Smelley will bounce back this week and hit McKinley and Saunders with some quick slants.

I was surprised we didn't throw many slants in the vandy game cause everyone knows one way to slow down the pass rush is to throw quick slants and RB draw's. I would be surprised if we don't see a lot of that this week. Defense played well like they usually do even though they were on the field a lot -- shows their conditioning. I just think Spurrier is going to take that loss to Vandy at heart and take it out on UT.

[orlandogamecock]

LOL!! Id rather have SOS on the O-Line than that drunk Sorensen!!

You may be a Gamecock fan, but I will NOT tolerate ANYONE trashing any of our players!!!!!

That is NOT called for!

[Poppycock]

You may be a Gamecock fan, but I will NOT tolerate ANYONE trashing any of our players!!!!!

That is NOT called for!


Ditto!!! I agree. These kids give all they have and this is not what they deserve from anyone especially from someone who claims to be a fan. :angry:

[CatScratchFever]

I see Tennessee making USC look silly and Spurrier saying: "They played good we played bad." "Its not a suprise, Vandy... I mean Tennessee is a very good football team"

[Slick Rick]

Slick Rick says, Slick Rick is predicting a TN win in this game.

[raptorcox]

I see Tennessee making USC look silly and Spurrier saying: "They played good we played bad." "Its not a suprise, Vandy... I mean Tennessee is a very good football team"

USC's manhandling of Kentucky still makes those grapes sour I see. :laugh:

[Neo]

USC's manhandling of Kentucky still makes those grapes sour I see. :laugh:



Obviously our raping of UK still stings and brings back bad memories. :laugh::thumpsup:

[courtcf]

I must say that I am a little concerned... only with all the interceptions we through last week. I dont really watch Tenn very much, so I don't have a consistent thought to how they play. But hey they are in the same spot that we are,,, it's gonna be a tough game. But if we want it more than they do, we may just pull this off.

"Certainly a challenging task, but one the Gamecocks successfully navigated in the 2005 season - a 16-15 win at Tennessee, a 14-10 victory at Arkansas and a 30-22 win over Florida. "

"The Gamecock defense remains one of the toughest to score on this season. Carolina has allowed just 133 points in seven games, an average of 16.6 points per game. Five of their eight opponents have scored 17 points or less.The Gamecocks rank second in the SEC behind only LSU and 12th in the country in scoring defense. "

[Neo]

Herbstreit sided with the "Herd" and picked USC to win over Tennessee.

[Zee]

I see it like this; our defense will keep us in every game we have left. Whether or not our O can capitalize is the million dollar question. No prediction for me because I honestly don't know what to expect Saturday.

[WDavE]

I can't seem to pick this game because I have no idea who will show up

Tenn. Jekyll or USC Hyde

Maybe they both will....

[raptorcox]

Our SEC Upset Game of the Week....Gamecocks over Vols...
by Jay Holgate
SECSportsReport.com

ATLANTA, GA--The 2007 season has been a year of upsets. Very few people could have foreseen some of the strange events happening in college football on Saturdays. We do not make a prediction unless there are warning flags that pop up. If we hear enough "management rules" being broken by one coach, then we listen to how the opposing coach is managing his team. Then we watch to see how the professional betters predict the point spread. If they go with the coach who is mismanaging his team, we make a call for the SEC Upset of the Week. There is a one game of particular interest to us this week, the Tennesssee vs South Carolina game in Knoxville. The Vols are favored by 2.5 points. Tennessee will not win; let us break it down.

Last week, Tennessee marched into Tuscaloosa and played well in the first half. By the time the game was over, Bama had walked away with a 41-17 blowout against a Tennessee team that was more talented. Rule #7 in our book of leadership states that a leader must acknowledge his mistakes before he can move forward. Our first flag was at the Tuesday press conference when Coach Phillip Fulmer said they let one get away in Alabama. When you lose by three points, you may have let one get away. Tennessee lost to Alabama by 24 points, it was embarassing for the fans.

Our second flag for Fulmer was listening to him talk about the Gamecock players. He began by talking about the kicking game and then made references to certain players possibly being the best in the SEC. South Carolina has no superstars. The Gamecocks have a young talented team- no more, no less. Our take on the comments is that Phillip Fulmer believes his team is more talented than South Carolina. We believe Fulmer believes he will beat Spurrier and a lot of the fan griping will go away. We mark this down as overconfidence which will get a leader in trouble quicker than anything. With the professional betters putting the Vols up by three, it confirms for Fulmer the way Fulmer thinks.

Our third flag was the Fulmer self-improvement plan for his players started after the Bama defeat. It is too late in the season to start new systems. In the heat of battle, it all comes down to focus. From a management perspective, it comes across as desperate, busy-work, to make it look like you are making management decisions. From a player standpoint, it is just one more thing to do in an already hectic schedule. From an analyst viewpoint, the Vols need to focus on one game only, right now. Too many activities make for a distracted mind. When players get frustrated they have a hard time focusing and executing.

Moving on down to Columbia, Steve Spurrier said his offensive team played poorly. He clearly pointed out that his team was an average team playing above its potential for a few big games. The Gamecocks lost to Vandy and they clearly did not meet expectations. Spurrier is using the same strategy that he used prior to the Georgia game. Spurrier is not talking about Tennessee, but he is talking about fixing major problems on his team. Spurrier closed off practices to reporters and told his players not to talk to the media. In our opinion, Spurrier is re-grouping his team. He is getting them focused, and he does not want any distractions. These strategies being used by Spurrier are how teams win.

Spurrier is playing the cards very low key, but he is not making any predictions that would excite the Vol players. We see a upset in the making. We see the same type of game as the Georgia/South Carolina game.

We believe it will be close, but South Carolina wins in Knoxville 24-16.

Jay Holgate is an analyst for SEC Sports Report.

Our SEC Upset Game of the Week....Gamecocks over Vols... (http://www.secsportsreport.com/stories/Our%20SEC%20Upset%20G-071026.aspx)

Sounds good to me...... :thumpsup:

[Cincy Vol o5]

Thoughts:avatar
Prediction:avatar

[GatorBait15]

27 24 cocks

[GamecockDieHard]

Thoughts:avatar
Prediction:avatar

cincy vol choking his chicken again.

[C_hris]

Goooo Smokey

[raptorcox]

Herbstreit picks USC..........

Corso picks USC...........

[C_hris]

Herbstreit picks USC..........

Corso picks USC...........

Yall are doomed.

[D^3]

Herbstreit picks USC..........

Corso picks USC...........


You guys are screwed now.

[nellanaesp]

You guys are screwed now.

We're not completely screwed until Holtz picks us. . . He's a bad omen for some reason . . .

[lacene]

We're not completely screwed until Holtz picks us. . . He's a bad omen for some reason . . .

I dunno...Holtz has picked us every game thus far, and we are leading the East currently.....