KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -Coach Steve Spurrier knows South Carolina’s gotten lucky lately.
It’s going to take more than that, though, for the 21st-ranked Gamecocks (6-2, 3-2 Southeastern Conference) to survive the final stretch of their schedule.
“I think all of our guys know to beat some good teams – and we are going to start playing some real good teams – we’ve got to be a lot sharper,” he said. “We still haven’t played up to our potential, but hopefully it’ll kick in here the last third of the season.”
That starts with visiting a Tennessee team that does seem to be playing up to its potential.
After a shaky start under first-year coach Lane Kiffin, the Volunteers (3-4, 1-3) are becoming more productive offensively and rank 10th in the nation defensively.
t two games, Tennessee has soundly beaten SEC East rival Georgia and lost 12-10 to No. 2 Alabama on a game-ending blocked field goal.
“As you continue to develop your relationship you figure out what motivates them, what exactly can they do best,” Kiffin said. “It’s why if you’re doing things right you keep improving – and we have, and we need to keep doing that.”
The Gamecocks needed a few official reviews to overturn plays and a 99-yard drive capped by a 43-yard touchdown pass from Stephen Garcia to Alshon Jeffery to pull out a 14-10 win against Vanderbilt.
But it’s a supposed conversation between Jeffrey and Kiffin that could give South Carolina the spark it needs to play more inspired against Tennessee.
Jeffery told his teammates that while recruiting him during the offseason, the brash Tennessee coach tried to convince him South Carolina wasn’t for him by telling the wide receiver he’d end up pumping gas for the rest of his life like other South Carolina high school players who stay in state.
Kiffin has denied saying it and wouldn’t comment on the allegation this week, but fellow wide receiver Moe Brown promised the Gamecocks would show Kiffin “how we do pump gas at South Carolina.”
“They’ve got a new coach, they’re playing well with him, but we plan to go to Rocky Top and win us a football game,” Brown said. “It’s just another SEC football team we’ve got to play against and hopefully bring a win back home to Carolina.”
It won’t be easy against a Vols defense that hasn’t allowed an offensive touchdown in its last two games.
Led by former NFL Tampa Bay Bucs defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin, the Vols are limiting opponents to 155.9 yards passing per game and will be pit against a Gamecocks offense averaging 229.1 yards passing per game.
“Every week we hear how we’re outmanned or we hear that all the talk is about our opponent and not us,” defensive tackle Wes Brown said. “We wanted to go out and play well and have some identity for ourselves and have some people talking about us.”
Tennessee’s defense may be the third-best in the SEC in giving up only 269.7 yards a game, but South Carolina’s is right behind in allowing 288.9 yards per game.
Linebacker Eric Norwood, the SEC’s leader in sacks (6) and tackles for loss (8.5), will be looking for a way to get Vols quarterback Jonathan Crompton and tailback Montario Hardesty on the ground.
“They do a lot of things well,” linebacker Shaq Wilson said. “They went against a great defense last week. We’re just trying to get off the field as fast as get the ball back in Stephen’s (Garcia) hands and let our offense go to work.”
The Vols own a 21-4-2 lead in the series and have won all but one of the 14 games played in Knoxville, and a win would be Kiffin’s first over a ranked opponent.
It would also be a win over the man whose well-known confidence and swagger he’s trying to emulate as a coach and instill in his own players.
“I’ve always had an unbelievable respect for what he’s done,” Kiffin said. “I think that (his players) represented him because he was so confident in the way he came across. … His players believed in him that he could move the ball and he could win games.
“Here he is doing it again. As soon as people want to start counting him out, he’s back in the Top 25. He’s had a Hall of Fame career and is still doing it.”
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