Episode 135: Vols hope to regain momentum on road

GoVols247's Wes Rucker and Patrick Brown went into Fort Rucker Studio to break down Tennessee's big road game at South Carolina on Saturday at Williams-Brice Stadium. Tennessee picked up serious momentum two weeks ago with its shocking upset win at then-21st-ranked Auburn, and it remains to be seen how much of that momentum the Vols lost in last week's lopsided setback against Third Saturday in October rival Alabama. That loss looks bad in a vacuum, but it doesn't look terrible when you look at what the Crimson Tide have done to anything and everything in their path this season. South Carolina, on the other hand, was expected to compete for an SEC Eastern Division championship this season but has already lost three games to take itself out of the running. It remains to be seen whether the Gamecocks will be any more ready to play the Vols than Auburn was two weeks ago. The Tigers also had a disappointing start to their season, and Tennessee took advantage of that situation. The Vols — already an injury-riddled group up front — now have to face South Carolina without arguably their best player at any position. Sophomore Trey Smith has been ruled out indefinitely following the return of blood clots in his lungs, and how the Vols physically and mentally respond to that challenge will be on full display this weekend. It also remains to seen whether sophomore starter Jarrett Guarantano's injury or senior backup Keller Chryst's strong play off the bench against Alabama will have any impact on that position this weekend. Jeremy Pruitt has been characteristically mum on that topic this week, but early returns have pegged Guarantano as the likely starter against the Gamecocks. Whether that actually happens, though, remains to be seen. Tennessee also hopes to get its running game going after struggling badly in that area against Auburn and Alabama, but Smith's absence could throw a big wrench into those plans. Anything and everything related to this season's Vols-Gamecocks game is discussed in detail in this episode — an episode that ends with questions from listeners, GoVols247 subscribers and social-media followers, with the pick of the litter winning the Grant's Gun Show Question of the Week Award.