Vols hope progress turns into November run

photo Tennessee quarterback Joshua Dobbs (11) eludes Alabama's Jonathan Allen (93) as he heads downfield. Alabama Crimson Tide Offensive Coordinator Lane Kiffen to talks to Neyland Stadium personal before the game. The Alabama Crimson Tide visited the Tennessee Vols at Neyland Stadium in SEC action.

TENNESSEE (3-5, 0-4 SEC) AT SOUTH CAROLINA (4-4, 2-4)7:30 p.m. * Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, S.C. * SEC Network/106.5 FMTHE MATCHUPSouth Carolina isn't 4-4 because of its offense. Steve Spurrier's bunch scored 38 points at Kentucky and 35 last week at Auburn and lost both games. The Gamecocks are near the bottom of the SEC in points (32.8) and yards allowed (437.5) defensively, but their offense has had three straight 500-yard games - for the first time since 1995. Tailback Mike Davis is one of the best in the league and averaged 105 yards rushing in his last seven games. Dylan Thompson is second in the SEC in passing yards per game, Pharoh Cooper leads a deep pool of receivers and South Carolina's offensive line is a big, veteran group. It'll be a stern test for a Tennessee defense that allowed 469 yards last week against Alabama. The Vols will have to cut down on the number of big plays after allowing 12 plays of 20-plus yards the past two games.ONE TO WATCHAll eyes will be on Tennessee quarterback Josh Dobbs as he steps into the starting role after rolling up 267 yards of offense against the Crimson Tide. It's a similar spot for the sophomore, who last season took over for an injured Justin Worley and finished the season for the Vols. In his first start in 2013 - in the Missouri version of Columbia - Dobbs totaled 285 yards of offense and committed three turnovers. Of course, that Missouri defense and this South Carolina defense are on different levels. Still, the first objective for Dobbs has to be ball security. His running ability opens things for running back Jalen Hurd and takes some of the heat off a shaky offensive line, but how well Dobbs throws it likely will determine Tennessee's fate. The Vols need to play to his strengths as they did against Alabama, when they had 43 rushing attempts.IN THE ENDIn this game two years ago, South Carolina held on for a 38-35 win when Jadeveon Clowney strip-sacked Tennessee quarterback Tyler Bray as the Vols were driving to tie or win the game. Last season in Knoxville, Marquez North's one-handed catch set up Michael Palardy's winning kick as Tennessee snapped a long losing streak to ranked teams with a 23-21 win. Nine of the last 14 games in this series were decided by one possession, six of those by a field goal or less. This year it's a matchup of strengths and weaknesses. The Gamecocks can score but can't stop anybody. The Vols have a good defense, but their offense scuffled until last week. It could be a high-scoring affair and should be another close game.- Patrick BrownPREDICTION: SOUTH CAROLINA 31, TENNESSEE 28

KNOXVILLE - Throughout the season, Butch Jones has reiterated that from his perspective Tennessee's football team is making progress.

The season's final month gives the Volunteers the chance to bear out their coach's words.

Among Tennessee's final four opponents, there are no ranked teams, a welcome sight for a program that had faced 11 in a 20-game span to open Jones's tenure.

The remaining opponent with the best record is Missouri, which lost to Indiana and ranks 117th in the FBS in total offense. The toughest road challenge left for the Vols is tonight's game at South Carolina, which began the season ranked ninth and now sits at 4-4.

Tennessee needs to win three of its four November games to reach the program's first bowl game since 2010.

"I think every player has an idea if they're getting better or worse," linebacker Curt Maggitt said this week. "That's just talking to your position coach, having that relationship and watching extra film. All players know. For the younger guys, they probably don't know as much, so it's up to the older guys to help those guys stay along track."

For a young team like Tennessee - the Vols start just 10 upperclassmen and have played 23 freshmen this season - it always was going to be how they navigated the bumps and progressed through the end of the season. With what's left on the schedule, the bumps should be in the rearview mirror.

The Vols nearly upset Todd Gurley-Georgia in September and could take positives from how they played in defeats to Oklahoma and Alabama. They faded after a promising start at Ole Miss, but coughing up a winnable game in the home loss to a bad Florida team is easily the lowest point of Tennessee's season.

The fourth loss in five games had Jones citing Bill Walsh quotes earlier this week.

"The most challenging aspect, probably, of being a head football coach is seeing progress while you're losing," he said. "I don't take to losing, as you all know. Our fan base doesn't as well, and I don't want our players or anyone within our organization to ever accept that. But I do see progress.

"I do think our program is starting to work in terms of a mentality, a passion, a toughness. I see those strides being developed each and every day. I think you know there isn't anyone who internalizes more than myself, and it bothers me, obviously, when we don't perform up to the standard that we've created here in certain areas.

"But we are work in progress, we are who we are and I've said that from day one. This comes as no surprise. All we can do is work to keep getting better and better, and live in the moment, and continue to work to be a better football team, and recruit and develop."

After last season's high-water mark, a 23-21 upset of 11th-ranked South Carolina, Tennessee lost its next three games by 35, 28 and 32 points. That preceded a home defeat to Vanderbilt, a loss that ensured the Vols again would miss the postseason for a third straight year.

"Winning bowl games is one of our program goals," linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin said. "Every year we're trying to get to that bowl game. We haven't been here in a long time, so everyone's definitely fighting for that, and that's our main focus."

"We're trying to focus one week at a time. You can't look too far ahead. We definitely see that bowl game is there, but we've just got to focus on one week."

The progress made by Tennessee's defense from last season to this one was apparent in the first half of the season, but the Vols fell victim to some big plays in allowing 34 points apiece to Ole Miss and Alabama and now face a South Carolina offense that's aiming for a fourth consecutive 500-yard game, something the program's never done.

After scoring just 12 points and zero touchdowns in the losses to Florida and Ole Miss, Tennessee's offense got a spark from quarterback Josh Dobbs last week and should carry some confidence into a meeting with the Gamecocks' pliable defense after having success against Alabama's vaunted defense.

"Right now we're really good at not getting down on ourselves and continue to stay motivated to get better," center Mack Crowder said. "The coaches do a great job continuing to motivate us. The players around us, if they're not struggling, they'll help the guys that might be."

The Vols certainly know what's again at stake this November.

"We've got a good vibe," Maggitt said. "We've got a bye week next week, so this week is just empty the bucket: Put everything into this game. The focus is just one, whatever it takes to get the job done. The focus is just this week and playing with a playoff mindset."

Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com

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