We have a night showdown in the SEC East to look forward to on Saturday as the South Carolina Gamecocks hit the road to battle the No. 21 Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville. The game will kickoff at 7:30 p.m. ET on SEC Network.
South Carolina (2-2, 1-1 SEC) was able to bounce back from its loss to Georgia by edging Mississippi State in a 37-30 home victory last Saturday. Up by a field goal late in this tight ballgame, a Mario Anderson touchdown run with 9:36 left gave the Gamecocks a two-score lead and enough of a cushion to cruise to a win. Wide receiver Xavier Legette had himself an explosive day in the victory, hauling in five receptions for 189 yards and two touchdowns.
Tennessee (3-1, 0-1 SEC) was also able to bounce back from a loss last Saturday, handling UTSA in a 45-14 rout. The Vols blanked the Roadrunners 31-0 in the first half and cruised controlled their way to an easy victory over the AAC opponent. Joe Milton threw two touchdowns in the win while running back Dylan Sampson showed out with 139 rushing yards and two touchdowns of his own.
SP+ Rankings
South Carolina: 43 overall, 29 offense, 70defense
Tennessee: 14 overall, 9 offense, 27 defense
Injury update
South Carolina
TE Reid Mikeska – Questionable (Undisclosed)
OL Markee Anderson – Questionable (Undisclosed)
RB Bradley Dunn – Questionable (Lower Body)
WR Antwane Wells Jr. – Doubtful (Foot)
DE Tyreek Johnson – Questionable (Undisclosed)
RB Juju McDowell – Questionable (Undisclosed)
LB Mohamed Kaba – Out for season (Knee)
OL Cason Henry – Out (Undisclosed)
Tennessee
DL Elijah Simmons – Questionable (Knee)
OL Cooper Mays – Questionable (Upper Body)
RB Jaylen Wright – Questionable (Undisclosed)
LB Kwauze Garland – Out for season (Undisclosed)
LB Keenan Pili – Out indefinitely (Upper Body)
RB Desean Bishop – Out (Ankle)
ATS/Total
Against The Spread in 2023
South Carolina: 3-1 ATS
Tennessee: 2-2 ATS
Total in 2023
South Carolina: Over 2-2
Tennessee: Over 1-2-1
Current lines at DraftKings Sportsbook
Spread: Tennessee -11.5
Total: 60
Moneyline: Tennessee -410, South Carolina +320
Opening line: Tennessee -11
Opening total: 61.5
Weather
64 degrees, clear, 6 MPH winds NE
The Pick
South Carolina +11.5
This is a difficult game to make heads or tails of as both of these teams are still trying to find their footing in the early stages of SEC play. While I do give the moneyline edge to the Vols in their home environment on a Saturday night, this Spencer Rattler-led Gamecocks squad is built specifically to be a nuisance for most teams in this conference. I think South Carolina covers as a road underdog in this one.