COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina comes off its open week with a chance to knock off a ranked SEC rival at home, as 11th-ranked Tennessee visits Williams-Brice Stadium on Saturday. The university lists kickoff for 3:35 p.m.
The Gamecocks (3-3, 1-3 SEC) last played Oct. 10, when they went on the road and beat No. 24 Florida 38-19 to end a three-game skid. In each of those three losses they gave up 35 points or more, so the Florida game doubled as a sign the defense could hold up.
Tennessee (6-1, 3-1) arrives with three straight wins, the latest a 26-10 result over No. 13 Alabama in which running back DeSean Bishop ran for 159 yards and two touchdowns. The Volunteers’ only loss was a 20-17 home setback to Texas on Sept. 26, and they have not allowed more than 24 points in any game.
The matchup comes down to strength against strength. South Carolina leads the SEC at 232.3 rushing yards per game, more than double its pace from 2025, behind running backs Matt Fuller and Jabri Coleman and quarterback LaNorris Sellers. Tennessee’s defense, run by coordinator Jim Knowles, ranks second in the league against the run, giving up 121.1 yards a game and 3.8 a carry.
Sellers has completed 61.5% of his passes with 12 touchdowns and four interceptions. Carolina has scored at least 34 points in every home game this fall. Tennessee has turned to quarterback George MacIntyer and leaned on its ground game, running 39 times against Alabama.
Betting lines Thursday had the Gamecocks as slight favorites of about 2.5 points. Historically this has been the Vols’ series: they hold a 29-11-2 edge, and when the teams last met, in 2023, Tennessee won 41-20.
Fans should plan for extra traffic. The South Carolina State Fair is running next door, traffic patterns around the stadium will change to keep fair visitors moving, and season parking passes for the fair lots are not valid for this game.
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