Hopes and fears for UK football fans about the Cats’ SEC opener vs. South Carolina
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Preview: South Carolina at Kentucky
Click below to read more of the Herald-Leader’s and Kentucky.com’s preview coverage ahead of Saturday’s Kentucky-South Carolina football game at Kroger Field.
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What Kentucky football backers should hope for and what they need to fear as the Wildcats prepare to play their 2024 SEC opener against South Carolina.
Kickoff is at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 7, at Kroger Field in Lexington.
The game will be telecast by ABC (WTVQ-TV, Channel 36, in Lexington).
Hopes
▪ Brock Vandagriff learned some lessons in Week 1. Making his first start as a collegian in what became a weather-shortened 31-0 win over Southern Mississippi, the new Kentucky quarterback survived a couple of bad throws early in the game and seemed to get more comfortable reading the Golden Eagles’ defense as the contest progressed.
With UK in scoring range at the USM 26 on the Wildcats’ initial drive of the game, Vandagriff was intercepted by Southern Mississippi’s Dylan Lawrence after a pass to UK slot receiver Ja’Mori Maclin was tipped by middle linebacker Ja’len Sims.
On Kentucky’s initial drive of the second quarter, Vandagriff (12-of-18 passing for 169 yards and three touchdowns) evaded disaster when Southern Mississippi free safety Ques McNeal dropped what should have been an easy interception and would have likely been a pick six.
With both of the problematic throws, Vandagriff, a redshirt junior transfer from Georgia, appeared to have locked in on his chosen receiver from the snap.
Against an opportunistic South Carolina defense that forced four turnovers in last week’s 23-19 victory over Old Dominion, UK very much needs Vandagriff to protect the football.
▪ The Kentucky defense can make South Carolina throw the ball. In a lackluster offensive showing in the win over ODU, South Carolina completed only 10 of 23 passes for 114 yards.
In their opener, the Gamecocks were heavily reliant on the rushing of ex-Arkansas running back Raheim “Rocket” Sanders (24 carries for 88 yards and one touchdown) and redshirt freshman quarterback LaNorris Sellers (22 carries for 68 yards and a score).
An already stout, veteran Kentucky defensive front has been boosted by the addition of former Georgia star Jamon Dumas-Johnson at middle linebacker. The UK defense held Southern Miss to a net 5 yards rushing.
If UK can shut down South Carolina’s running game, it will put immense pressure on Sellers, whose prowess as a passer is very much a question.
▪ These trends remain a Kentucky friend. In the Mark Stoops coaching era, Kentucky has tended to play well at the start of its SEC schedule. The Wildcats have won their past three league openers.
Conversely, South Carolina is 0-3 in its first league game under Shane Beamer.
Fears
▪ The South Carolina edge rushers wreak havoc on Kentucky. In last week’s win over Old Dominion, South Carolina unleashed all-out disruption on the Monarchs from the defensive edges.
Kyle Kennard, a 6-foot-5, 254-pound transfer from Georgia Tech, had four tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 quarterback sacks and a forced fumble vs. ODU.
Meanwhile, heralded true freshman Dylan Stewart, a 6-6, 248-pound product of Washington, D.C., made four tackles, 1.5 sacks and forced two fumbles.
Kentucky’s chances of winning Saturday ride, to a considerable degree, on the Wildcats’ ability to get the South Carolina edge rushers blocked.
▪ South Carolina forces Kentucky miscues again. Since Shane Beamer became the chief Gamecock, South Carolina has forced UK to commit eight turnovers in three head-to-head games while turning the ball over only twice itself.
In UK’s dispiriting 17-14 loss to an eminently mediocre South Carolina club in Columbia last season, the Wildcats not only lost the turnover battle 3-0, Kentucky also self-sabotaged by committing seven penalties, many of them in critical moments.
▪ Beamer just has UK’s number. Kentucky had beaten South Carolina in six out of the past seven meetings when Shane Beamer was hired as Gamecocks head man before the 2021 season.
Since then, South Carolina has gone 2-1 vs. UK.
The Gamecocks took advantage of an injury that prevented Kentucky starting quarterback Will Levis from playing in a 24-14 upset of the No. 13 Wildcats in Lexington in 2022.
Last season, a South Carolina team that finished 5-7 pulled out a tight win on its home field over a Kentucky team that would upset No. 9 Louisville on the road the following week.
If Beamer makes it three in a row over the Cats — with a second consecutive win in Lexington — he will have fully flipped a series that UK had control of when Carolina hired him.
This story was originally published September 6, 2024 at 7:00 AM.
