Tennessee Vols' switch to Jarrett Guarantano similar to South Carolina's flip to Jake Bentley in 2016

South Carolina’s bowl chances appeared grim when Tennessee arrived at Williams-Brice Stadium last October.

The Gamecocks were 2-4 in Will Muschamp’s first season, and an 18-year-old freshman, Jake Bentley, was set to make his first SEC start.

Bentley helped engineer a 24-21 upset over the Vols.

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A year later, Tennessee (3-2, 0-2 SEC) is handing the reins to a 19-year-old redshirt freshman, in need of a spark after a 41-0 loss to Georgia on Sept. 30. Jarrett Guarantano will make his first career start when the Vols host the Gamecocks (4-2, 2-2) on Saturday (noon ET, ESPN).

The Vols' lasting impression of Bentley last year?

“He was very composed,” Vols middle linebacker Colton Jumper said.

That’ll be the task for Guarantano going against a South Carolina defense that is tied for the SEC lead with 13 takeaways.

“You’ve just got to stay in the moment,” Vols coach Butch Jones said of Guarantano. “Every time there’s a change in possession, you have to come and you have to regather yourself and kind of reset. Jarrett has worked very hard this week.”

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Guarantano has appeared in three games in relief. Jones kept open the possibility of Quinten Dormady, who started the first five games, also playing Saturday.

This isn't Jones' first time passing the baton to a freshman.

In 2013, his first season at Tennessee, Justin Worley injured his thumb in the eighth game of the season. Joshua Dobbs, then an 18-year-old freshman, started the final four games. Dobbs' first start came against Missouri. He threw two interceptions. The Tigers won 31-3.

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UT lost three of Dobbs’ four starts and missed a bowl. Dobbs, of course, went on to have a fine career.

Freshman Nathan Peterman also started one game that season, a 31-17 loss to Florida.

Guarantano steps into a pressure-packed situation, with Jones on the hot seat and oddsmakers projecting Saturday's game to be decided by one possession.

That would fit recent history.

Each of the matchups between these squads in the past five years has been decided by three points or fewer. Tennessee is 3-2 during that stretch.

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The Vols were coming off back-to-back losses to Texas A&M and Alabama ahead of last year’s matchup, but with victories over Florida and Georgia already in tow, winning the East remained realistic – until Bentley completed 15 of 20 passes, including two touchdowns, in what became the signature victory of Muschamp’s first season at South Carolina.

“Each year is different. Each storyline is different. This is a different team, but I think our older players obviously remember it,” Jones said of last year’s loss. “I think it’s a respect that they have for them because they are a very good football team.”

Muschamp is 5-0 against Tennessee, including four wins while the coach at Florida. He’s won all three of his matchups against Jones.

The Gamecocks didn’t score more than 20 points in any of their first six games last season. Bentley sat behind Perry Orth and Brandon McIlwain. In the aftermath of a 28-14 loss to Georgia in Week 6, Muschamp knew he needed to make a change.

The bye week was coming.

Muschamp called his athletic director, Ray Tanner, and asked if he’d be crazy to hand the reins to Bentley.

“He said, ‘You know, if your gut tells you to do it, do it,’” Muschamp said at SEC media days during the summer, recalling the story.

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Muschamp handed the keys to Bentley for the following game against Massachusetts, and Bentley led the Gamecocks to a 34-28 victory before facing the Vols.

The situation is all too familiar for UT – a disappointing loss to Georgia, a bye week and now a freshman at the controls.

The Vols can only hope that the QB change will work as well for them as it did for the Gamecocks last season.