Staff picks: Kentucky at South Carolina, other Week 12 matchups

South Carolina is back for the third straight week in a row at Williams-Brice Stadium as it will face the Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday night. The Gamecocks will look to win their third straight game this month.

There’s plenty of other good games going on this weekend. So here’s how the GamecockCentral and 107.5 The Game staff sees this game going plus a few predictions on other key matchups.

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Chris Clark: I anticipate a tight, fourth-quarter contest between the Gamecocks and Wildcats. Here’s to thinking this is a bit more of a defensive battle, with USC making just a couple more key plays at the end. South Carolina 27, Kentucky 24

Terry Ford: This could go either way. The Gamecocks are different at home after dark. Rattler and the passing game will make a play and Jeter boots a game winner. Carolina wins a close one. South Carolina 23, Kentucky 20

Griffin Goodwyn: This South Carolina-Kentucky matchup is coming at the right time for the Gamecocks. The Wildcats come into this game having lost four of their last five games, including a 49-21 beatdown at the hands of Alabama. South Carolina, on the other hand, is coming off one of its best performances of the season against Vanderbilt. That, and the home field advantage Williams-Brice Stadium gives the Gamecocks, especially at night (South Carolina is 10-2 in night games at home during the Shane Beamer era) will give them a slight edge in this contest. South Carolina 30, Kentucky 27

Tyler Head: This should be a fairly even matchup that has the makings of a four quarter rock fight. I think Rattler continues his streak of having great games at home and does a number on UK’s questionable secondary. South Carolina 37, Kentucky 34

Joe Macheca: Darude is back in Columbia and South Carolina is going to throw da football a lot. The Gamecock defense needs to make Kentucky’s running back feel like he’s in a Sandstorm to win this one and I think they do. It’ll be a dogfight, but South Carolina comes out victorious. South Carolina 35, Kentucky 31

Wes Mitchell: In recent years this has been a low-scoring, old-school SEC battle between these two teams but this Kentucky defense has seemingly taken a couple of big steps back this year. The Wildcats, particularly when they’ve faced great offenses, have given up a lot of yards, especially through the air. I don’t know if you can call Carolina’s offense great, but they’ve definitely been good at home, and this should set up for another huge day for Spencer Rattler. The fact that Kentucky shortens the game on offense, may limit the overall scoring a little from what it could be but this is the Gamecocks’ best chance in some time to put up some points on the Wildcats. If the defense can keep Ray Davis from taking over, there is a clear path to a victory here for Carolina. South Carolina 33, Kentucky 27

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Jay Phillips: After winning two games at home and regaining some confidence, now the real work in the November stretch begins for Carolina. Kentucky is a good football team, although one reeling from four defeats in their last five games, including three humbling losses. They’re already bowl eligible, so that pressure is off, but beating the Gamecocks has become an expectation for Mark Stoops and his program. UK can run well, and pass well enough. Has Carolina’s shift on defense given them enough to contain the Wildcats? Can the SC offense remain productive against a physical UK defense, albeit one that gave up 49 points in its last game? In a close, ugly contest I see the atmosphere at Williams-Brice being a difference maker. South Carolina 31, Kentucky 27

Kendall Smith: South Carolina has had its best stretch of games these past two weeks, and Kentucky has had quite the opposite. It’s a November to remember and let’s speak into existence that this game is a win that sets up a 7:30 p.m. Clemson game with a bowl on the line. South Carolina 31, Kentucky 20

Mike Uva: I’m skeptical about picking South Carolina this week because we’ve seen this song and dance before. Just as they start to make you believe, they come out the next week and kick you right in the groin. But playing under the lights at Williams-Brice after playing their most complete game of the year, it gives me hope that the Gamecocks will find a way to win it late in the fourth quarter against the Cats. South Carolina 30, Kentucky 27

Jack Veltri: First off, if you’re bringing Darude out here, you better play a good game and get the win. I expect Willy-B to be rocking more than ever. It’s going to be nuts on that opening kickoff. South Carolina plays a lot better at home, and I think everything is clicking at the right time. Between bowl eligibility on the line and a chance to get to six wins against the team from the upstate next week, the Gamecocks won’t squander this golden opportunity. South Carolina 28, Kentucky 17

Chris Wellbaum: I’m equal parts in on “November to remember” and giving up on Kentucky. The Wildcats simply haven’t looked good recently, while the Gamecocks are coming off their most complete game of the season. Also, you had better win when you bring Darude all the way over from Finland for the game. South Carolina 36, Kentucky 29

	Coastal Carolina at Army	Harvard at Yale	Montana State at Montana	UNC at Clemson	Georgia at Tennessee	UNLV at Air Force	Nebraska at Wisconsin	Washington at Oregon State
Chris Clark (66-33)	Coastal Carolina	Yale	Montana	UNC	Georgia	UNLV	Wisconsin	Washington
Terry Ford (66-33)	Army	Yale	Montana	Clemson	Georgia	Air Force	Wisconsin	Oregon State
Griffin Goodwyn (71-28)	Coastal Carolina	Harvard	Montana	Clemson	Georgia	Air Force	Wisconsin	Washington
Tyler Head (64-35)	Coastal Carolina	Yale	Montana	UNC	Georgia	UNLV	Wisconsin	Washington
Joe Macheca (60-39)	Coastal Carolina	Yale (by a billion)	Montana	UNC	Georgia	Air Force	Wisconsin	Washington
Wes Mitchell (72-27)	Coastal Carolina	Harvard	Montana	Clemson	Georgia	Air Force	Wisconsin	Oregon State
Jay Philips (71-28)	Coastal Carolina	Harvard	Montana	Clemson	Georgia	Air Force	Wisconsin	Washington
Kendall Smith (66-33)	Coastal Carolina	Harvard	Montana	Clemson	Georgia	Air Force	Wisconsin	Washington
Mike Uva (72-27)	Coastal Carolina	Harvard	Montana	UNC	Georgia	Air Force	Wisconsin	Washington
Jack Veltri (58-41)	Coastal Carolina	Yale	Montana State	Clemson	Georgia	UNLV	Wisconsin	Oregon State
Chris Wellbaum (63-36)	Coastal Carolina	Harvard	Montana	UNC	Georgia	UNLV	Wisconsin	Washington

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