South Carolina football vs. No. 5 Tennessee Vols: Score prediction, scouting report

COLUMBIA — South Carolina football faces a brutal challenge in its last home game of the season against No. 5 Tennessee on the heels of last week's disappointing blowout loss to Florida.

The Gamecocks (6-4, 3-4 SEC) take on the Vols (9-1, 5-1) for their final SEC matchup of 2022 at Williams-Brice Stadium on Saturday (7 p.m., ESPN). Tennessee is coming off a 66-24 rout of Missouri, which beat South Carolina 23-10 in Week 9.

The Vols lead the all-time series with the Gamecocks 28-10-2 and have won the past three meetings. South Carolina's last victory was in 2018, a 27-24 win in Columbia.

Here's everything you need to know about the matchup:

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Hendon Hooker's Heisman campaign

Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker is one of the biggest breakout stars of the 2022 college football season and a frontrunner for the Heisman Trophy. He enters the matchup with South Carolina with 2,888 passing yards, 24 passing touchdowns, 405 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns. He leads the nation in completions of 30-plus and 60-plus yards and in passing yards per attempt (10.06).

Outside of his game against Georgia, Hooker has logged at least 200 yards and two touchdowns passing in every game this season. He can also pose as a dual threat, with four games over 50 rushing yards, especially against a South Carolina defense that gave up 96 rushing yards to Florida's elite mobile quarterback Anthony Richardson.

Jalin Hyatt revenge game

Tennessee wide receiver Jalin Hyatt said this week that he's had the matchup with the Gamecocks circled on his calendar all season. The Irmo native was the No. 3 prospect in South Carolina coming out of high school in 2020, but he was never offered by the hometown team. While the current staff isn't responsible for the snub – Will Muschamp was head coach during Hyatt's recruiting process – Hyatt feels he has a score to settle with the program.

The Vols receiver has been a favorite of Hooker since preseason All-SEC selection Cedric Tillman's injury against Akron in mid-September. Hyatt led the Vols with five touchdowns in a defining win over Alabama, and he has 1,116 yards and 15 touchdowns receiving this season. Tillman will be a game-time decision against South Carolina after missing last week's game against Missouri.

The Gamecocks' secondary, though talented, is in for a difficult matchup against Tennessee's elite receivers. With R.J. Roderick in the transfer portal, David Spaulding out for the year and B.J. Gibson questionable, there is very little depth or room for injury among the defensive backs. Against a high-volume passing offense, the starting group could get worn down quickly.

Prioritizing pass rush

One of Tennessee's few issues in recent weeks has been its pass protection, which holds the key to the rest of the offense. It has given up at least two sacks in every game since its win over Alabama, including a season-worst six to Georgia. Meanwhile, the Gamecocks' pass rush has made steady improvements with season-high six sacks in a win over Kentucky, and three in last week's loss to Florida.

The Vols' offensive line is far stronger than the likes of Kentucky's, but any hope for South Carolina in this matchup rests on the defense. If they can get pressure on Hooker early, that disruption could prevent some of the high-speed tempo that has become Tennessee's calling card.

Exploiting secondary weaknesses

Tennessee's closest games this season have come against strong passing offenses. They allowed 257 yards to Georgia's Stetson Bennett in that loss, 455 yards to Alabama's Bryce Young in a three-point victory, and 453 to Florida's Anthony Richardson in another three-point win. With South Carolina star running back Marshawn Lloyd questionable for the third week in a row with a quad contusion, the Gamecocks' best course of action may be to lean more on quarterback Spencer Rattler and the passing game.

Rattler had one of his best games of the season in South Carolina's win over Vanderbilt, passing for 200 yards and three touchdowns. He also has high potential to create explosive plays with four passes of 30-plus yards, four of 40-plus and two of 60-plus this season. Receiver Dakereon Joyner, who regularly runs trick plays at quarterback for the Gamecocks, also has a 68-yard touchdown pass thrown against Vanderbilt.

Prediction

Tennessee 51, South Carolina 17: The Vols' electric offense is fighting to impress the College Football Playoff committee and puts up a huge lead in the first half. Some garbage-time points prevent a shutout for South Carolina, but Tennessee dominates wire-to-wire.

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: South Carolina football vs. Tennessee: Score prediction, scouting report