The Tennessee Vols have 3 huge pieces of bulletin board material for the South Carolina game
The Tennessee Vols will have no shortage of bulletin board material when they take on the South Carolina Gamecocks on Saturday night in Columbia. It seems like every week this season there's been a different storyline surrounding Tennessee's matchup. There was LSU head coach Brian Kelly downplaying the complexity of Tennessee's offense. Then there was […]
The Tennessee Vols will have no shortage of bulletin board material when they take on the South Carolina Gamecocks on Saturday night in Columbia.
It seems like every week this season there's been a different storyline surrounding Tennessee's matchup.
There was LSU head coach Brian Kelly downplaying the complexity of Tennessee's offense. Then there was former Vols linebacker Henry To'o To'o, who now plays for Alabama, saying "it's not personal, it's just business" before returning to Neyland Stadium for the first time as an opponent.
Kentucky quarterback Will Levis talked all week about "real football" as he insinuated that Tennessee doesn't play football the way it's meant to be played.
(UT's coaches and players definitely took offense to that comment as it was referenced multiple times in the days following the Vols' win — including a reference by Tennessee offensive coordinator Alex Golesh.)
Last week, comments that Missouri head coach Eliah Drinkwitz made during the summer (about the NCAA recruiting scandal that got Jeremy Pruitt fired) resurfaced. Those comments were also noticed by Tennessee's coaches and players.
This week against South Carolina, the Vols actually have three big pieces of bulletin board material. And it should be put to good use as Tennessee could face a rowdy crowd at Williams-Brice Stadium on Saturday night. Added motivation is always a plus when a tough road environment awaits.
1. Shane Beamer's comments about beating Georgia State earlier this season
South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer appeared to throw some shade at Tennessee (and Auburn) after the Gamecocks' 35-14 win against Georgia State in week one.
The game was close before South Carolina finally pulled away in the second half.
After the game, Beamer said, "We know there's some SEC teams that have played these guys and aren't having the feeling that we have right now".
Auburn lost to Georgia State in 2021 while Tennessee lost to them in 2019.
South Carolina didn't play that well against Georgia State and Beamer was essentially using Auburn and Tennessee as reasons that the Gamecocks' poor play should be overlooked.
2. Jalin Hyatt revenge game
I'm sure you know the story by now. Vols wide receiver Jalin Hyatt grew up in the Columbia area, but he was never offered by South Carolina.
Hyatt's dad told ESPN's Chris Low recently that Jalin has used that as motivation.
This will be Hyatt's second time playing in Columbia and the first time in front of a full house (Hyatt's first collegiate game was actually in Williams-Brice Stadium during the Covid-19 impacted 2020 season).
Hyatt's teammates know what this game means to him and it feels like they're rallying around him this week.
If Hyatt still needs a little extra motivation, he can look to comments made by South Carolina defensive back Cam Smith who said this week that he likes his odds "over the top" against Hyatt.
3. Darius Rucker takes a shot at the Vols
Earlier this year, country music singer Darius Rucker, who you might also know as the lead singer of Hootie and the Blowfish, stood on stage at a concert and said F*** Tennessee.
Rucker, a Charleston, SC native, is a huge Gamecocks fan. And you have to respect that he's stuck to his fandom despite making a living in Nashville (though disparaging the program that most folks in Tennessee cheer for probably wasn't wise).
This is just something fun that Tennessee can use this week as extra motivation. Maybe The Pride of the Southland band, if they travel to Columbia, can play a Rucker/Hootie song if the Vols win on Saturday night. You know, kinda like when Tennessee played Dixieland Delight after beating Alabama.
Featured image via Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
