Tennessee football's Week 5 game against the South Carolina Gamecocks is one that Volunteers' fans have been waiting for since last season. In what was a mid-November matchup last season, a College Football Playoff poll No. 5 Tennessee football team came into Columbia, SC with the expectations of basically running through the Gamecocks, as they made their way into the playoff. That, of course, was the opposite of what happened.

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South Carolina football had just lost two out of their last three games, with a large contributing factor being their inability to score points against the likes of Missouri and Florida. Tennessee, meanwhile, was having its most promising season in years, all thanks to their number one-ranked offense in the country that had many believing the tide had finally turned in Knoxville. But the Volunteers weren't in their safe haven of Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, TN on that November night last year.

The entire 2022 Tennessee football season was derailed in a matter of hours last year at Williams-Brice Stadium. The Volunteers were routed by the Gamecocks, 63-38, suffering an onslaught of offensive prowess similar to what they had put on teams they faced most of last season. Spencer Rattler, a transfer from Oklahoma, put on the best performance of his career, carving up the Volunteers' defense. He threw for a career-high 438 yards and six touchdowns. It was the kind of night that then Volunteers' quarterback Hendon Hooker typically had, that is until he tore his ACL in the fourth quarter of that game. It was that kind of game for Tennessee.

So, it should go without saying that head coach Josh Heupel and his Volunteers football team, along with their rowdy fans, will be looking for revenge this Saturday night. But will they get it? Let's delve into Tennessee football Week 5 predictions.

4. Tennessee holds Xavier Legette under 100 yards

Xavier Legette has been a standout for the South Carolina offense. He currently leads the country in receiving yards with 556. There's only one game he's been held to under 100 yards this season, which was against Georgia. He still managed seven catches for 71 yards and no touchdowns. The Volunteers haven't allowed a 100-yard receiver all season. That should more than likely continue this Saturday, although that's not saying they still won't give up some yards against the Gamecocks' talented receiving corps as a whole. Tennessee has the 35th-ranked passing defense in the country, giving up an average of 190.8 yards a game. Rattler will get it to his receivers somehow, but holding Legette will be pivotal for the Volunteers.

3. Tennessee pass rush will determine the game

Spencer Rattler completed 16 of his first 18 passes in the first half in the Gamecocks game against Georgia, while also going 18-20 against Mississippi State the following week. Volunteers' football fans have not forgotten what Rattler did to them last season, completely destroying any hopes Tennessee had to compete in the playoff after the former Sooners' quarterback lit them up. The Volunteers will need to establish a pass rush early and often if they want to contain Rattler, who doesn't have the greatest offensive line to begin with. The Gamecocks line has given up a 125th-ranked 17 sacks on the season. The Volunteers are first in the SEC at taking down the quarterback with 16 sacks. This is definitely a matchup on the side of the home team on Saturday night.

2. Joe Milton has his best game of the year

Most Volunteers' football fans are reading that and probably thinking, “yeah, that's certainly a bold prediction” or, “that's not saying much.” Milton has been unfairly labeled as a large part of the problem for Tennessee's offense this season. He's been unfairly treated and judged by Hendon Hooker's Heisman hopeful-like season from last year. Many believed that Heupel was a miracle worker for what he did with Hooker, so they believed the same was to have happened with Milton this year. That hasn't been the case. But this just isn't the same Tennessee team from last season.

For one, they don't have the down-the-field threat they had with guys like Jalin Hyatt and Cedric Tillman, both who are now in the NFL. And that's not just because of the ad nauseam retort from Tennessee fans on Milton's accuracy issues. Sure, his 62.5 percent completion percentage isn't great, but that's partly on his receivers that can't hold onto the ball. Luckily for Milton, he'll be facing a South Carolina football defense that has a 70 percent completion percentage and allows 341.7 yards a game through the air. This has all the makings of a highly productive game from Milton.

1. Tennessee football gets their revenge on South Carolina

Most of Tennessee's games this year, even in victory, have looked sloppy. They just haven't looked like a complete team. Everyone expected them to be the dominating offensive force they were last season, but that just hasn't happened. The game against Florida was proof of that. So, this could definitely be a competitive game against South Carolina, even though oddsmakers are making the Volunteers a 12.5-point favorite.

Tennessee will have the elements around them to make them successful on Saturday night, though. They'll have their usual Neyland Stadium hot crowd that will be seething to give it their all for Tennessee, who will be decked out in fan-favorite dark mode uniforms. The elements may be just too much for the Gamecocks to handle. Tennessee wins, yet I don't think they cover — 24-21.