Everything you need to know before South Carolina faces Kentucky

Another week, another do-or-die game for South Carolina football.

After winning their last two games, the Gamecocks will play under the lights against Kentucky on Saturday night. They must win this week and next week to make a bowl game.

Before kickoff (7:30 p.m., SECN), here’s what you need to know about the Wildcats.

How they got here

Kentucky got off to a roaring 5-0 start, albeit against at-best mediocre teams. Its best win during that stretch came against Florida, who was sitting at No. 22 at the time.

But reality quickly set in on the Wildcats, who went down to Athens and lost 51-13 to top-ranked Georgia. From there, the snowball started to take form as they lost their next two games to Missouri and Tennessee.

Kentucky did bounce back with a win against Mississippi State, though. However, things got worse again when Alabama came into town last weekend and blew out the Wildcats, 49-21.

As it stands right now, the Wildcats are bowl eligible with six wins. But there’s a decent chance they could finish 6-6 with games against South Carolina and Louisville coming up.

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Where they sit in the rankings

With four losses, Kentucky is not ranked in the AP poll or College Football Playoff rankings.

In the College Football Power Index (FPI), the Wildcats are at No. 40 with a 6.0 FPI. For comparison, South Carolina comes in at No. 37 with a 6.6 FPI.

In the SP+ rankings, Kentucky ranks 31st.

Kentucky checks in at No. 32 in the Massey Ratings. It ranks No. 39 in offense and No. 33 in defense with the 43rd-best strength of schedule.

ESPN gives South Carolina a 58.1 percent chance to defeat the Wildcats.

Players to know

For Kentucky, everything starts with running back Ray Davis. He’s been the team’s main source of production this year. Davis, who previously played at Vanderbilt, has rushed for 929 yards and 11 touchdowns. So there’s a good chance he’ll reach 1,000 yards this year.

Davis is the main guy to keep an eye on this weekend. He’s going to be hard to stop, but if the defense can do it, winning the game will be much easier.

Under center for the Wildcats will be NC State transfer Devin Leary. In his first season in Lexington, he’s thrown for just over 2,000 yards with 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

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Leary has had an up-and-down year. In each of his last two games, he’s barely thrown for over 150 yards. And he’s also been susceptible to throwing a few interceptions. As if it weren’t clear, Kentucky will probably use Davis a lot this weekend.

Going back to Davis one more time, he’s also been a fantastic pass-catching back for Leary. He’s caught 24 passes for 259 yards and five touchdowns this year. That goes without saying receivers Dane Key and Tayvion Robinson will also be a big part of the game plan.

Key has caught 32 passes for 477 yards and four touchdowns, while Robinson has one more catch than Key but five less receiving yards and four touchdowns.

Kentucky hasn’t been too shabby defensively this year. It ranks top 50 in total defense. The Wildcats’ leading tackler is linebacker D’Eryk Jackson, who has 61 tackles, a sack and two interceptions.

Another linebacker to watch will be Trevin Wallace, who has 54 tackles and 4.5 sacks. Defensive lineman Deone Walker also has 4.5 sacks this year, which is a team-best.

Path to victory

It’s pretty obvious that South Carolina has played better at home this season. But the Gamecocks prove to be a tough team to beat when they play at home and under the lights. That’s what Kentucky will have to face when it comes to town on Saturday.

As foreshadowed before, the defense is going to have to find a way to slow down Davis. He’s proven to be good enough to take over a game all by himself. Earlier this year against Florida, he ran for 280 yards and three touchdowns.

Now, as of late, his production hasn’t been as good. But he’s still a threat anytime the ball is in his hands. Keep him in check and it will force Leary to throw the ball a lot more.

The offense just needs to keep doing what it’s doing. Granted, the running back room is not in good shape with Dakereon Joyner and Juju McDowell out this game. So it’ll be on Mario Anderson and guys like Djay Braswell and Bradley Dunn to help out.

But it feels like South Carolina might rely on the passing game a little more. However, Shane Beamer and co. probably want to mix it up and get the ground game going, as well.

As long as the Spencer Rattler-Xavier Legette connection is working, the offense should look competitive. But it’s going to take more than those two to get the job done.

Luckily, Trey Knox will be back on the field after missing the last two games. That gives Rattler two solid tight ends to throw to, including Joshua Simon, who has been heating up lately.

Getting this win would be massive. It not only puts South Carolina one more win away from bowl eligibility, but it also really sets the tone for what could be a fantastic rivalry matchup next week.

Plus, Darude, the creator of “Sandstorm”, will be in attendance for the game and host a pre-game concert. With the man himself in Columbia, it would be hard to imagine the Gamecocks blowing this one.

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