Tennessee football coaches and players didn’t seem too interested Monday in reliving last year’s game against South Carolina.
Can anyone blame them?
The Volunteers, who host the Gamecocks this Saturday night (7:30 on the SEC Network), were ranked fifth in the country last November and had their sights set on the College Football Playoff when they were ambushed 63-38 at Williams-Brice Stadium. South Carolina unleashed an offensive onslaught that included 606 yards and a 10-of-13 success rate on third and fourth downs combined.
“It doesn’t mean any extra,” Tennessee redshirt junior defensive lineman Bryson Eason said in a news conference. “We’ve been saying for the past four weeks that it’s the biggest game because it’s the next game. That’s just how we’re approaching it.
“We want to be the best team on the field Saturday.”