COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina gets back on the field Saturday after an off week, and the opponent is a big one: No. 11 Tennessee comes to Williams-Brice Stadium carrying a 6-1 record and a 3-1 mark in SEC play.
The Gamecocks are 3-3 overall and 1-3 in the league. Their last outing was a 38-19 victory on Oct. 10 over No. 20 Florida on the road, which ended an SEC losing streak of eight games stretching back more than a year.
Tennessee arrives on a high of its own. The Volunteers beat No. 13 Alabama 26-10 at Neyland Stadium last weekend, with their defense taking over after halftime. Their lone loss came against No. 19 Texas on Sept. 26, and they are one of four SEC teams with a single conference loss, along with Georgia, Kentucky and Ole Miss.
Holding a lead has been the Carolina problem. Over its last five SEC games, counting last season, South Carolina has let advantages of 27, 16 and 17 points slip away, including losses to Mississippi State and Kentucky.
The matchups to watch are on both sides of the ball. Tennessee running back DeSean Bishop goes against a Gamecock run defense ranked third in the SEC. Through the air, quarterback George MacIntyre makes his third start against a pass defense that has given up a 72.5% completion rate, 290.5 yards and 3.3 touchdowns per game to SEC opponents.
The two programs have met 42 times before. Saturday is the 43rd game in a rivalry that started in 1903.
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