The off-the-field storyline for this year's matchup between the Tennessee Vols and the South Carolina Gamecocks was set last November in Columbia. 

When Tennessee walked off the field after getting blown out 63-38 by the Gamecocks, everyone instantly knew that this year's matchup would be all about revenge. 

But that's a storyline that Vols head coach Josh Heupel says fans can embrace. Tennessee's players and coaches, however, are more focused on what they need to do on the field on Saturday night to get a win against South Carolina. 

"For our fan base, if they want to use last year as motivation, I got no problems with that," said Heupel on the SEC coaches teleconference on Wednesday. "That's the great thing about being a fan. I expect our stadium to be rocking like it always is. It's going to be an electric atmosphere. So if they (fans) want to use it, that's awesome. For us, it's about our preparation and how we practice."

The on-field storyline for this year's matchup between Tennessee and South Carolina, by the way, has also been set. 

This year's matchup between the Vols and the Gamecocks is all about there being no secrets. 

Tennessee pretty much knows what South Carolina is going to do defensively. And South Carolina pretty much knows what Tennessee is going to do offensively. This game will come down to which team executes their game plan better. 

On Wednesday night during Vol Calls, Heupel made it clear that part of Tennessee's game plan against South Carolina involves creating more explosive plays. 

And Heupel knows that the potential for big plays will be there because the Gamecocks are going to take their chances with winning one-on-one matchups against the Vols. 

“For us, it does start with some balance," explained Heupel. "You’ve got to be in manageable situations. You’ve got to be able to chew up yards. But we do got to be able to make plays. In their two-high, it’s still man match principles. You’re gonna be in one-on-one. You’re gonna see a bunch of press on the outside. And in the slot, you’ve got to win, too. Obviously, they gave up a bunch of yards last week. Mississippi State was able to be super productive in it. We’re gonna have to maintain balance."

"But we have to make some big plays in the pass game," added Heupel. "That starts with the protection up front. We’ve got to do a good job up front. Their front’s good. Their pressure package is good. And then we’ve got to be consistent and accurate with the football.”

Heupel acknowledged that the explosive plays haven't been there as expected for the Vols so far this season, but they need to be if Tennessee is going to be at its best offensively. 

"It’s not one guy," said Heupel when discussing the lack of explosive plays this season. "Joe’s done some really good things. There’s some throws that he needs to make. There’s some catches that our wide receivers need to make. There’s some things in protection that have to be clean enough so he can step into the football and have an extra count to get rid of the football. It’s all of those pieces together. At the same time, there’s some things that are really good in what we’re doing. It’s just for us to take the next stop offensively, for this football team, we’ve got to do that at a higher level.”

Which team will execute better? That's what this game will come down to on Saturday night. 

The Vols have the advantage since the game is in Knoxville. But if they don't execute and win one-on-one matchups, it won't matter how loud the crowd is when South Carolina has the ball. The team that wins the one-on-one matchups is the team that will leave Neyland with a win. 

Former Tennessee coach Jeremy Pruitt comments on returning to high school football

Jeremy Pruitt was hit with a show cause ban earlier this summer