The Tennessee Volunteers will face the South Carolina Gamecocks in their first game of the 2020 season.
The Tennessee Volunteers will kick off their 2020 football season on Saturday, Sept. 26 against the South Carolina Gamecocks in Columbia, South Carolina.
Tennessee is currently on a six winning streak that began with a win over South Carolina on Oct. 26, 219.
Coach Will Muschamp and his Gamecocks are looking to get their revenge as well as a win to start their season against Jeremy Pruitt and his Vols.
New Season, New Obstacles
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, teams around the country have had to prepare for their season differently.
This season, every SEC team will play a 10 game conference-only schedule.
The game between the Vols and the Gamecocks will be in William-Brice Stadium in front of a reduced crowd capacity of about 20,000 fans, roughly 24% of their normal capacity.
Both teams have also undergone intense contact tracing protocols to ensure player safety. Both teams have had players miss fall practices due to this contact tracing.
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Vols to Watch for
Tennessee is returning some familiar faces from its 2019 team that finished the season 8-5.
Redshirt senior quarterback Jarrett Guaruntano returns to lead his team after throwing 2,158 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2019.
Senior running back Ty Chandler also returns after finishing 2019 with 680 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns.
Tennessee’s offensive line is led by senior Trey Smith, who has received preseason All-American honors.
Tennessee’s defense saw a loss of multiple impact players like Daniel Bituli, Darrell Taylor, and Nigel Warrior this offseason.
Players such as sophomore linebacker Henry To’o to’o will be forced to have an impact on the game for Jeremy Pruitt’s defense. In 2019 To’o to’o had 73 total tackles.
Gamecocks to Watch for
After the Gamecocks 4-8 2019 season, coach Will Muschamp is looking for some big changes in his program.
One change he implemented is choosing graduate transfer Colin Hill to be the starting quarterback. Hill transferred from Colorado State, where he threw for 3,323 yards and 23 touchdowns.
On defense, the Gamecocks are looking for freshman linebacker Jordan Burch to make an impact. Burch was rated as a 5-star player according to 247 Sports.
Football is Upon Us
Tennessee and South Carolina have prepared for months in order to play their 2020 football season. The game will kick off Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. on the SEC Network.
Matthew Covers Sports 