It felt so nice, Will Muschamp said it twice.

Opening his press conference, Muschamp said the game details—"We have Tennessee here Saturday night at Williams-Brice Stadium, 7:30 kick on the SEC Network"–twice with a smile on his face, celebrating game day arriving.

The Gamecocks host Tennessee and are a little over 24 hours away from kicking off against the Vols with plenty to find out as they break in a new offense.

With kickoff approaching, it's time to break down a few key storylines to watch as the season starts.

Who settles at running back and right tackle?

These are the two biggest position battles lingering heading into Saturday's game, and it won't likely be determined until the starting lineups are announced on the video board pregame.

Also see: Players to watch this fall during scrimmages

Will Muschamp said Kevin Harris is going to start at running back but both ZaQuandre White and Deshaun Fenwick getting carries with the hot hand getting the bulk of the carries.

It's going to be a rotation at right tackle too with Jakai Moore, Jaylen Moore and Vershon Lee getting some time there as well. It's going to be key to have one of those guys settle there so the Gamecocks can have some consistency up front.

Establishing the run

These two teams are likely going to have the same game plan, at least early on, with the offensive line and running backs the strength of the unit. Tennessee is returning two talented backs in Ty Chandler and Eric Gray, who combined for almost 1,200 yards last season. The Vols averaged 4.3 yards per carry over their last six games last season, and it'll be important for South Carolina to stop the run and force the Vols to be one-dimensional.

Also see: The long history between Will Muschamp and Jim Chaney

On the flip side, it's going to be integral for the Gamecocks to get their run game going to play ball control and open things up for play action game that should help free up receivers down the field. Whichever team can run the ball better should have the inside track to a victory.

Can South Carolina pressure the quarterback?

When the Gamecocks got to the passer last year, they usually had success and it'll be imperative to get to Jarrett Guarantano early and often Saturday.

Last season Gaurantano had a 51.9 PFF grade and a passer rating of 79.6 when he was under pressure, much lower than when he was in a clean pocket (78.8 grade and 99.6 rating).

The Gamecocks have been high on its pass rush this offseason with Aaron Sterling, Jordan Burch, JJ Enagbare and Brad Johnson but now it's time to live up to those expectations.

Also see: Analytical preview of the Gamecocks' opener

Can the offense go boom?

Tennessee might not have an established pass rush yet, but the strength of that defense is definitely its cornerbacks Bryce Thompson and Alontae Taylor with Henry To'o To'o playing linebacker.

With the strengths there, it'll be important for South Carolina's receivers to win one on one against those guys and rattle off a few explosive plays. Mike Bobo likes to take shots, and if South Carolina wants to be able to have an efficient offense they need to be able to beat the strength of the defense and pick up some chunk plays.