South Carolina football: Vols hope uniform change will provide energy

The South Carolina football team is set to take on SEC Eastern Division rival Tennessee on Saturday in Neyland Stadium, an environment that’s already a difficult one to prepare for. Now, it looks as though the Volunteers are ramping things up a bit for this noon kick, dropping a new uniform combination for their matchup with the Gamecocks.

Tennessee will being unveiling what they call their “Dark Mode” look for the South Carolina contest this weekend in hopes of providing some energy among the team, fans, and coaches. Expect more than 100,000 screaming supporters to join suit as they hope to watch their beloved Vols bring home a second straight conference win.

https://twitter.com/Vol_Football/status/1445791298909204481

The blackout is sure to create an even more raucous experience for this Gamecocks road trip, though it won’t be the first test of the season. South Carolina has played two of its five games on the road, including a contest with Georgia in mid September.

While the Gamecocks have been battle tested, the environment in Knoxville will be a tough one. Making things worse, South Carolina has struggled in Neyland Stadium over the years having won there just three times since joining the league back in 1992.

The Gamecocks have also struggled with communication, particularly along the offensive line this season, and this won’t make things any easier. As of now, South Carolina ranks 113th in the nation in penalties committed, averaging nearly eight a game. A number of those have consisted of false starts and procedure penalties that have come prior to the ball being snapped. This is an area of focus and if it’s not cleaned up, the Gamecocks are likely in for a long day on Saturday.

South Carolina enters the matchup as a double digit underdog, but this series has been one of the closest in college football over the past decade. In those ten years, each team has come away with five wins. Eight of those contests were decided by six points or less.

Tennessee is feeling good entering the matchup fresh off of a 62-24 dismantling of Missouri last weekend. The Gamecocks, though, are also looking for their second straight win after taking down Troy 24-13 this past Saturday.

The game is set to get underway at noon and will be aired on ESPN 2. You can also stream the matchup live on Fubo TV.