Last Thursday, South Carolina used timely defensive stands and a potent rushing attack to squeeze by North Carolina and move to 10-1 in season openers under head coach Steve Spurrier.
Sticking with tradition, the Gamecocks will play their first SEC game of the season in Week Two. The Kentucky Wildcats bring a 1-0 record to Columbia after a 40-33 shootout victory over Louisiana Lafayette.
Last season, the Wildcats made a dramatic fourth quarter comeback that was capped by a six-yard interception return for a touchdown, ultimately beating the Gamecocks 45-38.
Kentucky rushed for 239 yards in last season’s matchup without starting tailback Stanley "Boom" Williams, who was suspended for the game. This season, Kentucky projects to throw the ball more in their spread offense.
Junior quarterback Patrick Towles is a game changer. Armed with a plethora of promising skill-position players, the Wildcat offensive attack will go through Towles. The second-year starter showed flashes of brilliance last season — including a streak of 159 straight passes without an interception.
Kentucky’s tall receivers will provide a healthy challenge for a secondary that struggled at times against North Carolina. However, though new offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson believes in a pass-first attack, head coach Mark Stoops is not afraid to run the ball.
With three talented tailbacks, Kentucky’s balanced attack could trouble the Gamecock defense. Kentucky’s defense was nearly as bad as South Carolina’s a year ago, finishing 11th in the SEC with 31.3 points allowed per game. Through one game, it looks as though the Wildcats have not quite solved their defensive problems.
A dinged-up Connor Mitch will look to take advantage of that. The redshirt sophomore left Thursday’s opener with a hip pointer and was relieved by redshirt junior Perry Orth.
Mitch went 9-22 with a touchdown against the Tar Heels.
Keys to the Game:
1. Control the tempo. The Gamecocks have often struggled against high-tempo offenses. They must control the pace. For South Carolina to do so, its offense will need to establish a strong rushing attack and keep Kentucky’s offense on the sideline. Fifth-year senior tailback Brandon Wilds was limited in practice this past week with a shoulder injury, but will be available for Saturday’s game.
The offensive line controlled the line of scrimmage against the Tar Heels as the Gamecocks ran for 254 yards on 47 carries.
If the offense plays at its methodical pace — and avoids delay of game penalties — the Gamecock defense should stay rested enough to slow the Kentucky attack.
2. Win the turnover battle. Mitch only completed 9 of 22 passes against the Tar Heels, but threw a touchdown and no interceptions. The Gamecocks won the turnover battle 3-0 over the Tar Heels, but only won the game by four points. This week, Mitch must avoid the big mistake to keep the Gamecocks in the game.
South Carolina’s defense only caused 19 turnovers last year.
If the defensive line can build on their four-sack performance against North Carolina, the pressure could force Towles into some bad throws. If the young defense can create a few turnovers, it will help build their confidence and improve their play.
3. Control field position. Transfer Sean Kelly averaged 46.2 yards per punt against the Tar Heels, while Kentucky’s Landon Foster averaged 45.5 yards in Week One. The special teams unit that can pin the other team deep will give their team the advantage.
Spurrier is an offensive mastermind when given adequate field position. If the Gamecocks can keep the field position advantage, it will take some of the pressure off of Mitch and the defense.