No. 11 Tennessee (6-1, 3-1 SEC) at South Carolina (3-3, 1-3 SEC). Saturday, Oct. 24, 3:30 p.m. ET, Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, S.C., ESPN.
Your hosts are Earl "Rocky Top" Haskew, a former Vols long snapper who plays a little banjo before every stat, and Beaumont "Beau" Cheraw, a Gamecock superfan who times everything to dramatic music, including breakfast.
Rocky Top: (banjo: plink-a-plink-plink.) Beau, I hear you've got an entrance planned. I've got a banjo. Let's make it a duet.
Beau: (Lights down. Spotlight. Smoke machine, family-sized.) Rocky Top, bring it on in. We'll give you a proper entrance.
Players to watch
Tennessee running back DeSean Bishop has 837 yards and 10 touchdowns. Wide receiver Mike Matthews has 481 receiving yards. Defensive lineman Tyree Weathersby has 6.5 sacks, linebacker Amare Campbell has 46 tackles, and defensive back Dejuan Lane has three interceptions. The Vols allow 14.7 points per game, ninth in FBS, and have 29 sacks.
South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers has 1,338 yards, 12 touchdowns and four interceptions. Running back Matthew Fuller has 485 yards and five scores. Wide receiver Nyck Harbor has 278 receiving yards. Linebacker Justin Okoronkwo leads with 43 tackles. The Gamecocks average 474.7 yards per game (13th) and 232.3 rushing yards (10th).
Beau: Tenth in rushing. Cue the music.
What happened last week
Tennessee beat Alabama 26-10. Bishop ran for 159 yards and two scores, 95 of those yards after halftime. Josh Heupel called him "a special back. Smart, tough, physical, great vision." One fourth-quarter drive took 9 minutes, 32 seconds. After fans stormed the field, the SEC fined Tennessee $500,000, payable to Alabama under league policy.
South Carolina had a bye after winning 38-19 at Florida on Oct. 10. Sellers threw for 279 yards and four touchdowns and ran for another. That was Shane Beamer's eighth top-25 win in six seasons.
Rocky Top: Nine minutes, thirty-two seconds. As a long snapper, I respect a drive you can set your watch to.
Injuries and availability
The SEC's first official report for this game is due Wednesday. After the Florida game, Beamer said: "Everybody that missed the game yesterday or left the game, like Judge Collier did, we all expect to be back against Tennessee. The only one that we would be most concerned about... is QuaySheed Scott." No Tennessee injury news has surfaced, so check the SEC report Wednesday.
Beau: (Dramatic strings.) Everybody back for Tennessee. I've already cued the entrance music.
What the coaches are up to
Heupel was hired Jan. 27, 2021. His quarterback spot is still a work in progress. Faizon Brandon leads the team with 697 passing yards, and George MacIntyre started against Alabama, going 21 of 31 for 197 yards.
Beamer was hired Dec. 6, 2020, and is in his sixth season. His teams went 9-4 in 2024 and 4-8 in 2025. He's used the bye to get healthy.
Player storylines
South Carolina's run game, 10th in FBS, meets a Tennessee run defense ranked 42nd. Sellers against Tennessee's pass defense, eighth, is the other big matchup. Tennessee's opening is the red zone: South Carolina lets opponents score on 93.8% of trips, 122nd.
What's happening on campus
The South Carolina State Fair is in town this week. Inside Williams-Brice, expect towels waving to "Sandstorm". Homecoming is later, against Texas A&M. The Volunteers are back on the schedule for the first time since 2023.
Anything else fun and true
Tennessee leads the series 29-11-2 and is 10-8-2 in Columbia. The last time the Vols visited, on Nov. 19, 2022, South Carolina upset the No. 5 Vols 63-38. Spencer Rattler threw for 438 yards and six touchdowns, and the Gamecocks piled up 606 yards. From 2016 through 2025, the series split 4-4. Tennessee has won three straight.
Beau: Sixty-three points. I still have the soundtrack.
Rocky Top: (banjo, slightly out of tune on purpose.) That's why we brought a defense, Beau.
The Cover Window
My call: Tennessee Volunteers 28, South Carolina Gamecocks 26.