South Carolina Gameday Guide: Gamecocks vs. Kentucky

The South Carolina Gamecocks re-enter SEC play against the No. 13 Kentucky Wildcats in what is a key matchup for Shane Beamer’s football program.

South Carolina (3-2, 0-2 SEC) vs. Kentucky 4-1, 1-1 SEC)

When: Saturday, Oct. 8, 2022 – 7:30 PM ET

Where: Lexington, Ky. – Kroger Field (61,000)

Broadcast: SEC Network (Tom Hart, Jordan Rodgers, Cole Cubelic)

Local Radio: Gamecock IMG Sports Network (Todd Ellis, Tommy Suggs, Jamar Nesbit)

Satellite Radio: Sirius/XM 98 or 204

Odds: UK -6 (O/U 46.5)

Weather: 55°, clear and cool.

South Carolina Injury report: LB Mo Kaba (out for season), EDGE Jordan Strachan (out for season), WR Chad Terrell (out for season).

Other resources from Gamecock Central: News | Schedule | Future Opponents | Scholarship Breakdown | Roster | Printable Roster | Depth Chart Plus | NFL Gamecocks

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How to watch today’s game

Today’s game is on SEC Network, which is available nationwide from every major cable, satellite, and streaming provider.

Use the SEC Network Channel Finder to find the specific channel for your provider.

The game is available on the ESPN app, but you will need to log in with a username and password from a live TV provider and subscription package that has SEC Network.

The ESPN App is available on Android, Amazon Fire TV, iOS, Chromecast, Roku, Samsung Smart TVs, Apple TV, Kindle Fire, Android TV, PS4, XBox and Oculus.

Coverage from South Carolina vs Kentucky Week

• South Carolina hoping run game success carries over to SEC play
• Breaking down the keys: South Carolina vs. Kentucky
• Video: What Marcus Lattimore is looking for from South Carolina’s offense
• South Carolina football: 5 predictions for the Kentucky game
• The Insider Report – pre-Kentucky thoughts
• Final injury report before Kentucky game
• The Verdict: South Carolina needs to control the first half
• Brian Edwards’ Best Bets: South Carolina wager, college football selections
• GC LIVE: The Kentucky view
• Quick Slants with Uva: New sense of confidence
• ‘He’s an NFL style running back’: Gamecock defense preparing for return of Chris Rodriguez
• Three Takeaways: More PT for Bam?
• Marcus Lattimore: Marcus Satterfield is calling good plays
• The Gamecock football 3-2-1

GC LIVE: Gamecocks vs. Kentucky Preview

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Quick notes from South Carolina Athletics  

This is the Gamecocks’ third SEC game of the season and all three have come against ranked opponents, with two coming on the road. They previously dropped a 44-30 decision at No. 16 Arkansas on Sept. 10, then fell by a 48-7 score to top-ranked Georgia on Sept. 17.

This is the first game of a six-game stretch in which the Gamecocks will play only conference games. After this week’s contest at Kentucky, the Gamecocks will enjoy an off week next weekend before beginning a five-game stretch in which they host Texas A&M and Missouri, travel to Vanderbilt and Florida before closing out that stretch of SEC opponents at home versus Tennessee.

The Gamecocks are looking for their third-straight victory after posting back-to-back wins over Charlotte and South Carolina State. The last time South Carolina won three-consecutive games was in the middle of the 2017 season when they defeated Arkansas, Tennessee and Vanderbilt in consecutive games.

Kentucky comes into this week’s contest ranked 13th in both the Associated Press and AFCA Coaches’ polls. South Carolina’s last win over a ranked opponent came in 2020 when the Gamecocks knocked off 15th-ranked Auburn, 30-22 at Williams-Brice Stadium. South Carolina’s last road win over a ranked opponent came on Oct. 12, 2019, when the Gamecocks outlasted third-ranked Georgia in Athens in double-overtime by a 20-17 score.

This is the 34th meeting between the Gamecocks and Wildcats in a series that dates back to 1937. Carolina leads the all-time series 18-14-1, including a 9-8 advantage in Lexington. The teams played just three times (1937, 1978 and 1981) before Carolina joined the SEC in 1992. Since then they have met every year. Since joining the SEC, the Gamecocks own a 17-13 record against Kentucky, including wins in 14 of the 22 meetings in this century.

A SERIES OF RUNS: South Carolina won 10-straight games over Kentucky from 2000-2009, and 13-of-14 from 2000-2013. Since then, the Wildcats posted five-straight wins from 2014-18 and have won seven of the last eight overall.

THE LAST TIME THEY MET: Chris Rodriguez ran for 144 yards on 26 carries and Matt Ruffolo connected on three field goals to lift Kentucky to a 16-10 win over South Carolina in Columbia on Sept. 25, 2021. The Wildcats took a 10-0 lead into the intermission before South Carolina cut the margin to three early in the third period. Ruffolo countered with a pair of field goals, the last one with under five minutes remaining to put Kentucky ahead by nine. The Carolina defense forced three turnovers, but the offense could generate just 216 total yards in the loss. Luke Doty was 17-for-25 for 158 yards. For more on that game, please turn to page 8 of these game notes.

THE LAST TIME THEY IN LEXINGTON: Due to COVID altering the schedule, the Gamecocks and Wildcats did not meet until the final regular season game of the 2020 season, a Dec. 5 contest in Lexington. Kentucky posted a 41-18 win over Carolina that night, the largest margin of victory for the Cats in the series history. Both teams moved the ball effectively on the ground, with South Carolina rushing for 297 yards, behind Kevin Harris’s 210 yards on 21 carries. Kentucky countered with 291 rushing yards as Chris Rodriguez Jr. and A.J. Rose each went over the century mark. Luke Doty, making just his second career start at quarterback, completed 11-of-25 passes for 85 yards with a touchdown and an interception. For more on that game, please turn to page 9 of these game notes.

THE LAST GAMECOCK WIN: Tavien Feaster (107) and Rico Dowdle (102) combined for 209 rushing yards, nearly matching Kentucky’s entire offensive output of 212 yards, as the Gamecocks rolled to an easy 24-7 win in Columbia on Sept. 28, 2019. Feaster scored twice and Dowdle once as the Gamecocks rolled up 387 yards in the win. The Carolina defense pitched a shutout until Kentucky finally got on the board with just 2:32 left in the contest. The seven points was the fewest the Wildcats had scored against the Gamecocks since being held to three points in the 2011 contest. The Carolina win snapped a five-game losing streak in the all-time series.

HAVE TO SCORE TO WIN: When the Gamecocks won 13 of 14 games from 2000-2013, they scored 430 points, an average of 30.7 points per game, including a stretch in which they scored no fewer than 24 points from 2005-13. In the last eight games in which South Carolina has only won once, the Gamecocks have scored a total of 145 points, averaging just 18.1 points per game and have scored more than 24 points just once (the lone win in that stretch). They have been held under 20 points in five of the last six meetings.

Other resources from Gamecock Central: News | Schedule | Future Opponents | Scholarship Breakdown | Roster | Printable Roster | Depth Chart Plus | NFL Gamecocks

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