Vols smash South Carolina in statement win

GoVols247’s full staff — Wes Rucker, Patrick Brown, Ryan Callahan and Grant Ramey — convened from various homes in the Knoxville area through the magic of Al Gore’s Internets to discuss Tennessee’s 41-21 win over South Carolina on Saturday at Neyland Stadium.A significant amount of adversity leading into the game and early in the game itself served as a backdrop for one of the most significant second halves for the Vols in a long time. Tennessee played three quarterbacks, none of whom were the team’s starter. The Vols had several injuries occur during the game. They had a few really tough calls go against them, and they allowed a 75-yard touchdown pass on the game’s first play.None of that crushed Tennessee’s will to win, though, and the Vols found a way to win a game that was really important in the moment and could be even more important for the future.How did Tennessee pull off such a stunning second half in all three phases of the game? What led to that moment? What does that game mean moving forward? How can the Vols find a way to finish stronger than they did last season? In what areas does this team still need to improve in a hurry? And how impactful could some of Saturday's injuries be for this team? Those are the main discussion points in the first two segments.The third segment switches gear, though, to talk Tennessee basketball. The Vols host Eastern New Mexico in a Wednesday night exhibition at Thompson-Boling Arena, and the regular season opens six days later against UNC Asheville. The Vols lost so many important players from the nucleus that brought the program back from the ashes, but some of those faces are still with the team, and some new, exciting prospects are also in the mix — but one of those new faces (7-foot-1 redshirt freshman Uros Plavsic) is still waiting to hear from the NCAA regarding his eligibility this season.It’s officially football-and-basketball crossover season, so there’s plenty to discuss. This episode hits on the main talking points to get your week started.The next GoVols247 Podcast episode will be released Thursday morning, unless breaking news occurs before that point.