Blue Preview: Your one-click guide to the UK football game vs. South Carolina
Kentucky vs. South Carolina
When: 7:30 p.m. (EST) Saturday.
Where: Kroger Field (normal capacity of 61,000 but attendance capped at 20 percent of that (around 12,200) in 2020 because of the coronavirus).
TV: SEC Network (play-by-play, Tom Hart; analysis, Jordan Rodgers; sideline, Cole Cubelic)
Radio: WLAP-AM 630, WBUL-FM 98.1.
Satellite Radio: XM Channel 190; Sirius Channel 137, Internet Channel 961
Records: Kentucky (3-6 SEC); South Carolina (2-7 SEC)
Series history: South Carolina leads 18-12-1 but Kentucky has won five of the past six.
Last meeting: South Carolina defeated Kentucky 24-7 on Sept. 28, 2019, at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, S.C.
Line: Kentucky is favored by 11 points.
The story line
At the end of a season filled with trial and heartache, Kentucky will attempt to write a happy ending by beating SEC East-rival South Carolina for a fourth straight time in games played in Lexington.
The number to watch
Kentucky’s second-half yardage. In dispiriting losses at No. 1 Alabama and No. 6 Florida the past two weeks, UK has managed a meager combined total of 73 yards of offense (27 at Alabama, 46 at Florida) after halftime. On Senior Day, it would sure be nice if the Wildcats could produce a more potent second half.
The big threat
Kevin Harris. The South Carolina running back has been the Gamecocks’ breakout star in 2020. A 5-foot-10, 225-pound sophomore, Harris leads the SEC in rushing with 928 yards. The Hinesville, Ga., product will be a massive challenge for a Kentucky run defense that has been so-so (eighth in the SEC, surrendering 152.2 yards a game) at best in 2020.
On the spot
Eddie Gran. When an offense has been under 300 yards of total production in six of nine games — as Kentucky’s has been in 2020 — scrutiny inevitably falls on the guy calling the plays. For the UK offense, a strong showing in the regular-season finale would at least leave a better impression with a disgruntled fan base and, perhaps, be something the Wildcats could build on for 2021.
The mood
Is sullen. This has not been the season Kentucky fans expected from a veteran team that entered 2020 off of four straight winning seasons. Beating a struggling South Carolina team with an interim head coach won’t negate all the dismay — but losing would turn a disappointing season into a (sports version of a) catastrophe.
This story was originally published November 30, 2020 at 11:56 AM.
