KSR GAMEDAY: Kentucky Kicks Off SEC Play vs. South Carolina

There is no extended runway. The Cats don’t even have a complete game under their belt. No time for excuses. It’s Football Time in the Bluegrass. Kentucky is kicking off the first game of the 2024 SEC season this Saturday afternoon at Kroger Field against a bitter foe, the South Carolina Gamecocks.

Even though neither school considers the other a rival, these two former SEC East programs do not like one another. Tensions increased between each program when Kentucky rattled off seven wins over eight years. That was amplified when Shane Beamer turned the tables and won the first Sunglass Bowl back in 2022. Now the Gamecocks have back-to-back victories over the Wildcats.

Typically a low-scoring affair, that recent trend may very well continue today. South Carolina is breaking in a first-time starter, LaNorris Sellers, a duel-threat athlete who completed less than 50% of his passes in week one. The Gamecocks want to run the ball to move the sticks, but that’s the strength of the Kentucky defense.

On the other side of the line of scrimmage, Kentucky has a new quarterback of its own. Brock Vandagriff flashed during his brief week one appearance, throwing for three touchdowns and averaging 7.0 yards per carry on five rushing attempts. He’ll be hunted by a couple of excellent edge rushers who played a part in creating four turnovers and five sacks last week in Columbia.

Kentucky has the cards to cash in big to open SEC play, but South Carolina has proven to be more than capable of playing spoiler throughout Shane Beamer’s previous three seasons. Prepare for physical four hours of SEC football at Kroger Field.

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Kentucky vs. South Carolina: How to Watch

• Kickoff: 3:45 p.m. ET (Broadcast starts at 3:30 p.m.)
• TV: ABC (Sean McDonough, Greg McElroy, Molly McGrath)
• Watch college football games live – try Fubo for free! Click HERE NOW.
• Local Radio: UK Sports Network (Tom Leach, Jeff Piecoro, Dick Gabriel)
  • AM: 840 WHAS, 630 WLAP
  • FM: 98.1 WBUL
  • Online: iHeart Radio
• Sirius XM: 139 or 191
• Live Stats: UKAthletics.com

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.

Wagering Angles for Kentucky vs. South Carolina

The spread has moved quite a bit since it opened on Sunday. It peaked into the double digits but has fallen to Kentucky -8.5 on gameday. The total is 42.5. The under is 8-1 in the last nine meetings between Kentucky and South Carolina.

The Wildcats are 7-3-1 ATS in SEC openers under Mark Stoops. South Carolina is 3-5 ATS as a road dog of a touchdown or more with only one outright upset under Beamer.

Saturday Gameday Schedule

The SEC Network is in town, which means it’s going to be an early morning for Kentucky football fans outside of Kroger Field.

8 am — Kroger Field Tailgate Lots Open
9 am — Marty & McGee kicks things off in the Orange Lot
10 am — SEC Nation
11:30 am — The KSR Pregame Show LIVE from KSBar and Grille
12:30 pm — LexTran Shuttle Begins
1:30 pm — Cat Walk
3:45 pm — Kickoff on ABC

Kentucky Hosting Official Visitors

Even though recruiting feels like an afterthought now that the season is in full swing, the Kentucky coaches can’t take their foot off the gas on the recruiting trail. That’s why this weekend the Wildcats are hosting a pair of official visitors.

Four-star tight end Mikkel Skinner is a South Carolina native who visited Columbia last weekend. He’s committed to Cincinnati, but there are multiple RPM picks for Vince Marrow to flip the talented athlete. Dyllon Williams, a three-star hard-hitting defensive back from Alabama, is also officially visiting this weekend, even though he committed to Missouri over the summer.

Kickoff Forecast

Big Blue Nation spent its first college football Saturday of the year dodging severe weather that ultimately delayed the game for more than two hours. That should not be the case today. It’s Chamber of Commerce weather in Lexington after showers cooled things down on Friday. Accuweather calls for 73 degrees and fair skies when the action kicks off at Kroger Field. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Fit Check

The Wildcats are wearing Kentucky blue in the ABC spotlight. As Kahlil Saunders showed us Friday evening, Kentucky is rocking blue from their heads to their toes. The Cats are 19-9 under Mark Stoops when the Wildcats wear blue jerseys and blue pants.

Pregame Reading

• Why a Week 2 Win is So Important
• 11 Personnel Previews the Sunglass Bowl
• South Carolina Bio Blast
• KSR+ Advanced Scouting Report
• Kentucky has a Strong Track Record in SEC Openers
• Mark Stoops’ History Against the SEC’s Worst Offense
• Shane Beamer Recruited Brock Vandagriff at Oklahoma
• KSR Staff Predictions
• The Hard Count Preview and Prediction
• Andy and Ari Predict Close Game
• National Media Predictions

College Football Schedule

No. 23 Georgia Tech at Syracuse	Noon ET	ACC Network
Bowling Green at No. 8 Penn State	Noon ET	Big Ten Network
No. 3 Texas at No. 10 Michigan	Noon ET	FOX
Arkansas at No. 16 Oklahoma State	Noon ET	ABC
No. 17 Kansas State at Tulane	Noon ET	ESPN
Pittsburgh at Cincinnati	Noon ET	ESPN2
Iowa State at No. 21 Iowa	Noon ET	CBS
Eastern Michigan at Washington	Noon ET	Big Ten Network
South Carolina at Kentucky	3:30pm ET	ABC
Michigan State at Maryland	3:30pm ET	Big Ten Network
Baylor at No. 11 Utah	3:30pm ET	FOX
California at Auburn	3:30pm ET	ESPN2
UTSA at Texas State	4:00pm ET	ESPNU
Middle Tennessee at No. 6 Ole Miss	4:15pm ET	SEC Network
Marshall at Virginia Tech	4:30pm ET	The CW
Virginia at Wake Forest	7:00pm ET	ESPN2
South Florida at No. 4 Alabama	7:00pm ET	ESPN
No. 19 Kansas at Illinois	7:00pm ET	FS1
Western Michigan at No. 2 Ohio State	7:30pm ET	Big Ten Network
No. 14 Tennessee at No. 24 NC State	7:30pm ET	ABC
Colorado at Nebraska	7:30pm ET	NBC
Houston at No. 15 Oklahoma	7:45pm ET	SEC Network
Appalachian State at No. 25 Clemson	8:00pm ET	ACC Network
Texas Tech at Washington State	10:00pm ET	FOX
Boise State at No. 7 Oregon	10:00pm ET	Peacock
Liberty at New Mexico State	10:15pm ET	ESPN2
Mississippi State at Arizona State	10:30pm ET	ESPN
Oregon State at San Diego State	10:30pm ET	CBS Sports Network
Utah State at No. 13 USC	11:00pm ET	Big Ten Network

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