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Three up, three down: Tennessee

What we liked and what we didn’t like from the season-opening game.

Three Up

1. Shi Smith

The question entering the season was whether Smith could be a primary receiver. Through one game the answer is yes. He had 10 catches for 140 yards and a touchdown, the second best game of his career. The next step will be making plays when he is double and triple-teamed, something that happened some in the second half.

2. The front seven

Ernest Jones had 11 tackles. Kingsley Enagbare had nine tackles, two sacks, and a forced fumble. Zacch Pickens had five tackles and was able to disrupt the pocket on several occasions. Jordan Burch didn’t play much, but his first career tackle was a three yard loss. They were the main reason Tennessee was just 1-11 on third down. There was a lot to like.

3. The second-half offense

In the second half, South Carolina had 254 yards on 36 plays, 7.1 yards per play. Collin Hill may not be the next Gardner Minshew, an unheralded grad transfer who lights it up, but he made some nice throws and avoided turnovers. He spread the ball around to multiple receivers and made good decisions. South Carolina ran the ball much more effectively than the numbers indicate, and was able to lean on the run in the fourth quarter despite trailing. The second half offense was good enough to win.

Three Down

1. The non-Shi Smith wide receivers

The first catch by a wide receiver other than Shi Smith came with 1:44 left in the first half: a bubble screen to Xavier Legette. When Smith was injured last season, South Carolina couldn't find help for Bryan Edwards, and for long stretches it was the same story for Smith. The good news is that Hill was able to spread the ball around more in the second half. Legette made a nice catch on a deep ball as he, Nick Muse, and Fenwick each finished with four catches, so there is hope.

2. Cam Smith

You hate to pick on one guy, but Smith was having a rough game even before the game-deciding play on the punt return. Will Muschamp said Jammie Robinson, the returner, should have done a better job directing Smith away from the ball, and either way it was just bad luck, but it was the final infamy on a night Smith would like to forget. Subbing for the injured Israel Mukuamu, Smith was picked on by Josh Palmer, who caught a touchdown and drew a pass interference penalty against Smith. That’s life when you are a redshirt freshman filling in for an all-SEC player.

3. The first-half offense

In the first half, South Carolina had 125 yards of offense, with 75 coming on the first drive. Smith was the only receiver Hill was even looking at, and it was trying to force a pass to Smith that led to the pick-six (although Smith perhaps should have caught it). The Gamecocks averaged 0.6 yards per rush in the second quarter. The question is whether it's the first half or second half offense that shows up the rest of the season. A lot of teams have gotten off to very slow starts offensively this season and then turned it around. Hopefully South Carolina is one of those.

Jeff Blake || USA-Today
Jeff Blake || USA-Today
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