Garnet and Cocky
Fansided

South Carolina football: Gamecocks drop opener to Tennessee

By Joshua Matthews

COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA - SEPTEMBER 26: Quarterback Collin Hill #15 of the South Carolina Gamecocks rolls out of the pocket against the Tennessee Volunteers during the football game at Williams-Brice Stadium on September 26, 2020 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Mike Comer/Getty Images)
COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA - SEPTEMBER 26: Quarterback Collin Hill #15 of the South Carolina Gamecocks rolls out of the pocket against the Tennessee Volunteers during the football game at Williams-Brice Stadium on September 26, 2020 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Mike Comer/Getty Images) /
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The South Carolina football team suffered a close loss to the Tennessee Volunteers.

The Gamecocks loss featured a close game against the Volunteers with starter Collin Hill at the helm of the Gamecocks offense. Collin Hill’s was formidable in his first career start with South Carolina.

Volunteers’ starter Jarrett Guarantano threw for more than 250 yards against Will Muschamp’s defense.

Post-game notes on the Gamecocks loss at Williams Brice Stadium.

The South Carolina offense was inconsistent in its first game under the guidance of coordinator Mike Bobo. Quarterback Collin Hill threw for nearly 300 yards, but had a costly pick six in the second quarter, and the Gamecocks never could get the running game started.

Despite the struggling offense, senior Shi Smith proved that he can be the go-to player on the Carolina unit.

Smith had ten receptions for 140 receiving yards and a touchdown against the Tennessee secondary. Smith averaged 14 yards a catch and had a long of 29 yards.

Shi Smith was the fire behind Muschamp’s offense. Whenever there was a offensive slump, Hill turned towards senior Hill. In 2019, Smith recorded 439 receiving yards in his junior season and this year’s reliability will be no different.

Even with Smith’s success, the Gamecocks’ offensive line group struggled most of the night.

I was pleasantly surprised with how Deshaun Fenwick stepped up to help the offense. The running back got 31 yards with only six carries with four receiving receptions with 45 yards. Fenwick averaged 11 yards per catch and stepped up as an option for Hill’s offense.

Deandre Johnson, of the Volunteers, logged 2.5 sacks against the Gamecocks, with two assists for the defensive line.

The Gamecocks defensive response was mediocre at best with no major interceptions. The Gamecocks defense only logged 46 tackles in it’s COVID-2020 tour debut in Columbia.

The secondary had no answer for Jarrett Guarantano for a second straight season, as the senior passed for 259 yards and a touchdown. Pass catcher Josh Palmer led the way with 85 receiving yards for the Vols.

South Carolina will try to get back in the win column next weekend as they travel to Gainesville to take on Dan Mullen and the Florida Gators. Kickoff is set for noon.

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