South Carolina (2-2, 1-1 SEC) will aim for a second upset win in as many seasons against No. 21 Tennessee (3-1, 0-1 SEC) when it travels to Knoxville this Saturday.
Last time the two teams faced off, the Gamecocks took down the Volunteers 63-38 in Columbia for South Carolina's first win in the SEC East rivalry since 2018.
Tennessee's Neyland Stadium is a familiar place for Gamecocks head coach Shane Beamer, who spent three seasons as a graduate assistant with the Volunteers while pursuing a master's degree in sport management in the early 2000s, and he said he anticipates the stadium's atmosphere to be electric on Saturday.
"We know it'll be a hostile crowd in Neyland Stadium," Beamer said. "That's what you want to play in and coach in, is in environments like that. That's SEC football, so we're excited about that aspect of it.”
With injuries mounting, especially on South Carolina's offense, the Gamecocks will be short-handed in battling through that environment. Beamer said redshirt junior offensive lineman Ni Mansell suffered a season-ending injury in practice earlier this week, which he said will test depth at a position that has already experienced a slew of injuries to begin the season.
"That's tough because that now means that seven offensive linemen that aren't practicing for us right now,” Beamer said. "When you're missing seven offensive linemen, that drastically affects the way you're able to practice.”
Senior wide receiver Antwane “Juice” Wells, who is still recovering from the foot injury he suffered against Georgia on Sept. 16, was also ruled out for this weekend, leaving another hole on the Gamecocks' offense.
In Wells' absence, Beamer and offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains have relied heavily on other pass catchers to absorb Wells' production, namely fifth-year receiver Xavier Legette. Through four games, Legette leads the nation with 556 receiving yards on 27 receptions, including three touchdowns.
“From an offensive standpoint, when you've got that size and the physicality that he plays with, it shows on the field," Beamer said. "Obviously, last year he did some good things at receiver. He did some amazing things as our kick returner, gunner on the punt team, things like that. He just continues to work and get better.”
On the other sideline, Tennessee's offense ranks eighth nationally in rushing yards and redshirt senior quarterback Joe Milton III is tied for fourth in the SEC with eight passing touchdowns. Milton III has completed 80 of 128 passes for 925 yards and just one interception, and he leads an offense that Beamer said is "operating at a high level."
"(He) can make every single throw on the field," Beamer said. "Took the first play of the game on Saturday and ran for about 80 yards as the quarterback on a run, so he can certainly run."
Leading the Gamecocks' offense, redshirt senior quarterback Spencer Rattler has completed 74.2% of his passes for 1,242 yards and seven touchdowns this season. Despite injuries along the offensive line and a rushing attack that failed to surpass 110 yards until last week, Rattler said the South Carolina offense deserves praise ahead of game five.
"Credit to the O-line and the running backs. They did a great job in the run game," Rattler said. "I'm trying to help out in whatever way I can in the run game as well. I feel like I can do a better job of that and still improving on that."
On defense, freshman defensive back Judge Collier, who recorded a career-high three tackles against Mississippi State, is among a young defensive backfield that has been pushed into play due to inconsistency among more experience defenders, including redshirt senior defensive back David Spaulding, who was a constant contributor for the Gamecocks in 2021. After missing nine games a year ago, Spaulding has yet to make a start this season and recorded just five total tackles in three games.
Despite just joining South Carolina in January, Collier said he feels that the veterans and coaches on the team have helped him learn what to expect this weekend in the growing rivalry game.
"I'm starting to get the understanding of the defense and feeling a lot more comfortable in making plays," Collier said. "I wasn't here last year when they played Tennessee. That was my official visit. I never faced that in high school, but we practiced it every day in practice, keeping up with the tempo so that we're prepared, so I feel like we will be prepared this weekend."
The Volunteers lead the all-time series between the two teams 28-11-2, including a 18-3 advantage in Knoxville. The Gamecocks will look to chip away at that lead this Saturday at 7:30 p.m. The game will be available to watch on the SEC Network.