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Re: 11-1-08
Scott Rickenbach
TITLE: 89% SEASON! #1 '08 SEC PLAY!
REASON FOR PICK: Game #346 – 2* (TOP PLAY) South Carolina Gamecocks (-) vs Tennessee @ 7 PM ET – Big revenge spot for the Gamecocks and the situation is set up perfect for South Carolina to exact that revenge! The Gamecocks are coming off of their bye week and that has given them extra preparation time for this big SEC match-up. It’s also given South Carolina extra time to get even more fired up about what happened last season. Despite a yardage edge of nearly 200 yards last season at Tennessee, the Gamecocks lost in overtime to the Volunteers. Keep in mind that was after South Carolina had gotten off to a slow start as they were down 21-0 at one point in the game. The Gamecocks battled back and dominated the second half. They also had numerous chances to win that game in regulation. Turnovers were costly though and the resulting loss makes this a very strong revenge spot for the Gamecocks.
One of the keys to being able to play on a revenging team is finding the right situational edges in such a spot. We have those edges here. Tennessee is in a downward spiral right now. Yes, the Volunteers did cover against Georgia earlier this season but they were very fortunate as the Bulldogs outgained them by about 250 yards. The Vols come into this game off yet another loss to Alabama as the Crimson Tide beat the Volunteers by twenty points! It was no fluke as the Crimson Tide outgained the Volunteers by nearly 200 yards. Things are very unlikely to improve for Tennessee now. They’re playing their eighth straight week and are beat up physically and emotionally. Mentally, it’s tough for players to stay focused when head coach Fulmer is absolutely on the hot seat again with Tennessee fans wanting him gone. The Vols QB, Stephens, has done a good job of avoiding turnovers but statistically Tennessee is not moving the ball well either. That is unlikely to improve against a Gamecocks defense that is arguably the best defense in the SEC.
The Gamecocks possess a very athletic defense and they should have no trouble keeping up with a Tennessee offense that is simply inconsistent on offense. The Vols just haven’t been able to get their ground game going and it’s been hard to get an aerial attack going because of an inexperienced QB and a lack of talent at the WR position. Things generally do not improve on the road. Couple that with the fact that the Gamecocks will bring a very high-level of intensity (compliments of the revenge factor) plus a very manageable number here and you have the makings of a pointspread rout. This game simply should not end up close to this number. The Volunteers couldn’t stop the South Carolina offense last year and this year’s match-up will be no different. The Gamecocks still have WR McKinley and we also feel the QB situation is an advantage now. With the running ability of Garcia and the passing ability of Smelley, the dual QB system of South Carolina is likely to give the Volunteers some match-up problems throughout this game. The Vols defense is essentially having to game plan for two different offenses in this one and we’re not so sure how much life this Vols defense has left in it! The emotional makeup of this team is not good right now and in their first two SEC road games the first downs total to 19 for Tennessee and 44 for their opponents! Yes indeed, this one gets ugly! Play South Carolina minus the points as a Top Play selection.
Scott Rickenbach
TITLE: 89% SEASON! #1 '08 SEC PLAY!
REASON FOR PICK: Game #346 – 2* (TOP PLAY) South Carolina Gamecocks (-) vs Tennessee @ 7 PM ET – Big revenge spot for the Gamecocks and the situation is set up perfect for South Carolina to exact that revenge! The Gamecocks are coming off of their bye week and that has given them extra preparation time for this big SEC match-up. It’s also given South Carolina extra time to get even more fired up about what happened last season. Despite a yardage edge of nearly 200 yards last season at Tennessee, the Gamecocks lost in overtime to the Volunteers. Keep in mind that was after South Carolina had gotten off to a slow start as they were down 21-0 at one point in the game. The Gamecocks battled back and dominated the second half. They also had numerous chances to win that game in regulation. Turnovers were costly though and the resulting loss makes this a very strong revenge spot for the Gamecocks.
One of the keys to being able to play on a revenging team is finding the right situational edges in such a spot. We have those edges here. Tennessee is in a downward spiral right now. Yes, the Volunteers did cover against Georgia earlier this season but they were very fortunate as the Bulldogs outgained them by about 250 yards. The Vols come into this game off yet another loss to Alabama as the Crimson Tide beat the Volunteers by twenty points! It was no fluke as the Crimson Tide outgained the Volunteers by nearly 200 yards. Things are very unlikely to improve for Tennessee now. They’re playing their eighth straight week and are beat up physically and emotionally. Mentally, it’s tough for players to stay focused when head coach Fulmer is absolutely on the hot seat again with Tennessee fans wanting him gone. The Vols QB, Stephens, has done a good job of avoiding turnovers but statistically Tennessee is not moving the ball well either. That is unlikely to improve against a Gamecocks defense that is arguably the best defense in the SEC.
The Gamecocks possess a very athletic defense and they should have no trouble keeping up with a Tennessee offense that is simply inconsistent on offense. The Vols just haven’t been able to get their ground game going and it’s been hard to get an aerial attack going because of an inexperienced QB and a lack of talent at the WR position. Things generally do not improve on the road. Couple that with the fact that the Gamecocks will bring a very high-level of intensity (compliments of the revenge factor) plus a very manageable number here and you have the makings of a pointspread rout. This game simply should not end up close to this number. The Volunteers couldn’t stop the South Carolina offense last year and this year’s match-up will be no different. The Gamecocks still have WR McKinley and we also feel the QB situation is an advantage now. With the running ability of Garcia and the passing ability of Smelley, the dual QB system of South Carolina is likely to give the Volunteers some match-up problems throughout this game. The Vols defense is essentially having to game plan for two different offenses in this one and we’re not so sure how much life this Vols defense has left in it! The emotional makeup of this team is not good right now and in their first two SEC road games the first downs total to 19 for Tennessee and 44 for their opponents! Yes indeed, this one gets ugly! Play South Carolina minus the points as a Top Play selection.
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