What we know heading into Kentucky vs. South Carolina

Another college football season in the Southeastern Conference has arrived. On Saturday afternoon at Kroger Field, Kentucky will look to flip a series against South Carolina which has gotten away from them over the last two seasons.

Over this week at KSR, we have dove deep into this conference matchup and taken a look at the contest from every angle. Now it’s time to take a step back on game day and recap what we found out.

There is much at stake.

South Carolina will test Kentucky’s biggest strength

South Carolina produced a 65.8 percent run rate in Week 1. That is not a surprise. The Gamecocks are shifting to a run-first attack this season with the addition of Arkansas tailback transfer Rocket Sanders and dual-threat quarterback LaNorris Sellers taking over at quarterback. There were some struggles, but the philosophy will likely remain the same.

South Carolina will test Kentucky’s biggest strength.

The Wildcats finished ranked in the top 25 in EPA/rush and yards per rush allowed last season. That should remain the case in 2024. A run-heavy South Carolina could have a hard time moving the football on the ground.

That will ultimately force South Carolina to pass the football and that is an area where Sellers struggled mightily in his first career start.

Ball security matters

Kentucky is minus-six in the turnover column in this series over the last three meetings and has not won the turnover battle since Shane Beamer arrived in Columbia. The Gamecocks do not beat the Wildcats without the takeaways last season. South Carolina does not beat Old Dominion without four takeaways last week.

The road team could be in trouble unless takeaways are created. The problem is that South Carolina has led the SEC in takeaways twice since Clayton White became the defensive coordinator has taken over. Creating turnovers is what this defense does.

A clean game likely enters a victory for the home team but that is easier said than done.

Scoring points in this series has been an issue for Kentucky in this series

In 2020, Kentucky rushed for 291 yards and scored 41 points in a blowout win over South Carolina and interim head coach Mike Bobo following Will Muschamp‘s firing. But that is the only recent meeting where we saw the Kentucky offense get rolling.

In the four most recent non-COVID meetings, Kentucky has scored 16 points or less in four consecutive games. South Carolina will be a big-time live dog if Bush Hamdan‘s offense cannot figure out the South Carolina defensive riddle that has plagued UK in these matchups.

Kentucky has to find ways to score points in this series. That has been the biggest thing holding the Wildcats back in this matchup.

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You can also keep up with the game and chat with other fans on our game thread on KSBoard, with Nick Roush, Adam Luckett, and Drew Franklin providing updates from Kroger Field and the rest of us from our couches at home. Join the party maximize your UK sports coverage in the most ridiculous manner possible.