Knoxville, TN (Sports Network) - The 21st-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks invade Knoxville this weekend for an SEC clash with the Tennessee Volunteers.

South Carolina is 6-2 overall this season, including 3-2 in conference, and the team is coming off a 14-10 victory over Vanderbilt last weekend. Coach Steve Spurrier and his team are already eligible for a bowl game, so improving postseason prospects now becomes the goal. The fact is that the SEC title seems like an impossibility for any team in the conference other than Florida and Alabama, two undefeated squads destined for a meeting in Atlanta.

As for Tennessee, it put forth a tremendous fight against 'Bama last weekend and lined up for a last-second field goal that could have handed the Crimson Tide their first loss of the season. Unfortunately for coach Lane Kiffin and his troops, the field goal was blocked and the Vols lost by a 12-10 final. They are now 3-4 overall, including 1-3 in SEC action, disappointing to say the least.

"It's a difficult loss to deal with," said Kiffin after the game. "You come in here and outgain them I think by over 100 yards and miss three field goals. I'm really proud of how hard our players played. I don't believe in moral victories, we should have won that game."

South Carolina posted a 27-6 victory over Tennessee last season, but the Vols still own a commanding 21-4-2 advantage in the all-time series.

During much of his tenure as the leader of the South Carolina football program, Spurrier has been forced to use more than one quarterback in games because of a lack of a clear-cut leader at the position. Fortunately, that problem doesn't exist this season, as Stephen Garcia has taken over the reigns of the offense with poise and productivity. Garcia has completed 58.8 percent of his passes for 1,794 yards with 11 touchdowns and four interceptions. More than just a passer, Garcia has rushed for three scores and is certainly capable of making some timely plays with his legs.

Alshon Jeffery is the leading receiver for USC with 24 catches for 443 yards and five touchdowns. As for the ground attack, Kenny Miles leads the way with 410 yards. The Gamecocks are generating 23.0 ppg and 366.4 total ypg, and they have scored 20 offensive touchdowns in their eight outings.

There is absolutely no doubt who the best player on the South Carolina team is, as Eric Norwood continues to wreak havoc on opposing quarterbacks and ball carriers. The leading sack man in school history, Norwood has made 48 stops this season, including six sacks, and has a pair of interceptions and two blocked kicks to his credit.

The Gamecocks are only allowing 17.5 ppg and 288.9 total ypg, numbers that Spurrier and his staff have to be proud of. Opponents are gaining just 141.2 passing ypg against South Carolina, which hasn't allowed many big plays through the air. With 18 sacks and 13 takeaways, the Gamecocks have made a fair number of big plays, but there is still room for improvement in both categories.

Garcia threw a pair of touchdown passes against Vanderbilt last weekend, including a 43-yarder to Jeffery in the fourth quarter that proved to be the difference. That long connection capped a five-play, 99-yard drive. The Gamecocks posted 431 total yards and didn't commit a single turnover, so it is hard to believe that they only managed 14 points in the tilt.

"It was a good victory for us, and we're proud of our players," said Spurrier. "We didn't play great, but we won the game."

Defensively, South Carolina limited Vanderbilt to 273 total yards and 10 points, another tremendous showing by Norwood and company. No takeaways were recorded, but Norwood did have a pair of TFLs.

"There are options that we need to get cleaned up," stated assistant coach Ellis Johnson, who handles the defense. "They had about 280 yards and 50-plus came on one play. Things like that are going to get you beat against good football teams."

Tennessee is posting 28.9 ppg and 385.3 total ypg, solid numbers for a football team with a record below the .500 mark. The Vols have scored 24 offensive touchdowns, and 14 have come through the air. Jonathan Crompton has thrown all 14 of those scoring passes, and he has completed 57.7 percent of his attempts for 1,475 yards with 10 interceptions. Gerald Jones leads the receivers with 22 catches for 281 yards and three scores, while Montario Hardesty has rushed for 720 yards and six touchdowns.

The Vols are limiting their opponents to 18.4 ppg and 269.7 total ypg, making it all the more surprising that they have a losing record. Stopping the run has been a strength of the defense, as it is holding foes to 113.9 ypg at a clip of 3.5 yards per rushing attempt. The pass defense has been strong as well, as opponents are gaining just 8.9 yards per completion. On a down note, there has been a glaring lack of big plays, as just 12 takeaways and 10 sacks have been registered.

Crompton threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Jones with 1:19 remaining in the fourth quarter of last week's game against Alabama, and the Vols successfully recovered the ensuing onside kick. That led to Daniel Lincoln's final field goal attempt, which was batted down. The Tennessee offense rolled up 20 first downs and 341 total yards against an elite defense, but a 1-of-4 effort on field goals was the difference.

"I thought Jonathan played extremely well," said Kiffin of his quarterback. "If you're going to beat a team like this, the No. 1 team in the country, you've almost got to play perfect and he almost did as far as not turning the ball over."

The Vols didn't allow a single touchdown to Alabama, which entered last week's game with the nation's top ranking. Tennessee limited the Tide to 256 total yards and clearly played well enough on defense to win the game. Rico McCoy was sensational, recording 12 tackles in defeat.