Ingram unlikely to play, but status still unknown
No one was talking about the defense after South Carolina's 16-13 loss to Auburn.
In a week dominated by conversation about the starting quarterback, even defensive players found themselves answering questions about the Gamecocks' recent offensive struggles.
"It's a team game," said cornerback Stephon Gilmore. "The offense has our back sometimes, and we have to have their back. We have to put ourselves together. The offense has some great players, and we'll go from there. I just try to tell them that they can be better than what they are. We have some talent over there. We have to play hard and practice hard, and it'll carry over."
But after a second consecutive strong performance, USC will look to solidify its place as the top pass defense in the SEC when it matches up against the lowest-ranked offense in the conference this week.
A week after holding Vanderbilt's offense to 77 total yards, the Gamecocks tied a season high with 95 tackles against Auburn, limiting the Tigers to 16 points despite the fact that they ran 92 plays. USC has limited opponents to an average of 151 passing yards per game this season.
With 11 sacks in the last two weeks, Carolina has taken over the SEC lead in that category as well, recording 13 sacks for a loss of 82 yards on the season.
USC will likely be without Melvin Ingram, the team leader in sacks, as he recovers from a sprained left foot, but it will turn to Jadeveon Clowney, who has four sacks on the season, to continue his rampage against opposing offenses.
The game against Kentucky is a perfect opportunity for USC to pile on more sacks, as the Wildcats have struggled to protect quarterback Morgan Newton. Kentucky has allowed 21 sacks on the season, and dropped passes have further damaged Newton's chances at success.
Although the Wildcats have averaged just 15 points and 256 offensive yards per game, the Gamecocks aren't underestimating it.
"You can't overlook no team in the SEC," Gilmore said. "All the teams are good. Kentucky is just our next team, and we have to bring our A-game. No game [is] a letdown. Either you play or you don't, so we just have to come to every game trying to play our hardest."
Defensive tackle Kelcy Quarles has lived up to his teammate's words, providing solid play on the line as a backup to Aldrick Fordham and Travian Robertson. Quarles has made the most of his playing time, with nine tackles in four games this season.
"I feel like I'm kind of in high school again because of the way my energy and my level has just turned up," Quarles said. "I want to play hard every game. When coach (Lorenzo) Ward recruited me, he told me he wanted me to bring the same emotion and intensity to this team, so that's what I'm trying to do. I'm playing my heart out."
The Gamecocks are ready to put their first loss behind them, and even though the spotlight will be on the other side of the ball, the defense will look to continue its recent resurgence against a struggling Kentucky team.
"The coaches are telling us that we can play better, put the (Auburn) game behind us and take our frustration out on Kentucky," Gilmore said. "We can't be down. We know we lost the last game. We're going to try to correct the things that we didn't do well and go from there. We have to play the game with our head up and take one game at a time."
Quarles said the team as a whole will need to bounce back after last week's loss, but promised a strong defensive showing Saturday against the Wildcats.
"When you lose, you get kind of a down feeling," Quarles said. "But coach Spurrier told us that we just need to regroup and come back. Defensively, we just have to play our hardest and get rid of some missed assignments. We're still the same team. We just have to step our game up, and we're going to be ready on Saturday."