The defining win of the Mark Stoops Era occurred last season when the Kentucky Wildcats defeated the South Carolina Gamecocks in Commonwealth Stadium behind a Jojo Kemp Wildcat attack that Steve Spurrier couldn't seem to firgue out. Add that to big plays on defense by Bud Dupree, and the 'Cats pulled off a huge upset on their home field.
But how big of an upset was it really? 7-6 and a bowl win in the Duck Commander Independence Bowl sounds pretty good, right? Not really since the Gamecocks were a preseason top 10 team and the favorite to win the SEC East.
The Gamecocks, like the Wildcats, played an uneven opening game but escaped with a win. Both teams will have something to prove in week two and the opening of SEC play for both. Luckily for the Gamecocks they will have over 80,000 screaming fans behind them at Williams-Brice Stadium.
Let's get to know the Gamecocks:
School: University of South Carolina
Location: Columbia, South Carolina
Enrollment: 32,972
Celebrity Alumni: Hootie and the Blowfish (90's Dad Rock Band), Charlie Weis, Mike Dunleavy, Sr., and Jadeveon Clowney didn't graduate, but he did this to a guy once:
Mascot: An abstract interpretation of Foghorn Leghorn
Head Coach: The HBC, Steve Spurrier (11th year, 85-45)
Conference: The SEC Baybee
2014 Season Outcome: 7-6 (3-5)
2014 Key Games: Lost against #21 Texas A&M 52-28, Won against #6 Georgia 38-35, Lost at Kentucky 45-38, Lost at Tennessee 45-42 (OT), Won Duck Commander Independece Bowl against Miami (Fl) 24-21
2015 Record: 1-0, 0-0
Current Ranking: #47 according to the real time RPI (Kentucky is #56)
Vegas Says: South Carolina -7.5
Gamecock Offense: This isn't the Steve Spurrier Fun and Gun that you remeber. In fact, the Gamecocks looked completely lost at the quarterback position for the majority of their 17-13 win over the North Carolina Tarheels. A total of three players attempted passes (Conner Mitch, Pharoh Cooper, and Perry Orth) going 12-27 for 140 yards, one touchdown, and no interceptions. Connor Mitch had the highest QBR at 59.2.
Connor Mitch suffered a hip pointer against UNC, but should be ready against Kentucky. Not that his presence is really going to make the difference. The difference is going to be on the ground for the Gamecocks. They amassed 250 yards on the ground with Shon Carson leading the way with four carries for 74 yards and a touchdown. As we saw against Louisiana-Lafayette, the Wildcat defense had a tough time containing the run, giving up 247 yards on the ground and allowing Elijah McGuire to run for 110 yards on his own. The running game really opened up for the Ragin' Cajuns when duel threat QB Jalen Nixon entered the game and changed the complexion.
Pharoh Cooper is the most talented player on the Gamecock offense but had only 3 catches for 45 yards. He is a big play threat waiting to happen, but he needs someone to get him the ball. He did run a little bit out of the Wildcat against UNC, so with Kentucky struggling so hard to stop the run, don't be surprised if we see more of that on Saturday.
Overall the offense was rather inept for most of their opening game. It was the mistake's of the other team that won it for them.
Gamecock Defense: North Carolina passed for 232 yards and rushed for 208 yards, allowing for 440 total yards in the game. But the downfall came has UNC quarterback Marquise Williams threw three interceptions, two in the endzone and one in the redzone. Yeah, the kid had a nightmare day.
The Gamecock defense is vulnerable in the secondary, but they will make a quarterback pay for mistakes. And we saw mistakes from Patrick Towles on Saturday night. Towles over-threw and under-threw receivers all night and tossed a really bad interception in the second half as Kentucky's offense stalled. He needs to be much better with his accuracy against the Gamecock defense and utilize the weapons he has all around. The Kentucky receivers have a combination of size, speed, and athleticism across the board, and should outmatch the South Carolina secondary.
One thing that Kentucky did do well was rush the ball with Boom Williams, Mikel Horton and Jojo Kemp. If they want to pull an upset in Columbia, they need to test the strength and endurance of the Gamecock front seven. Boom is a seam away from breaking a 70 yard touchdown run and Horton showed that he is a bruiser. And I am sure Spurrier won't forget Jojo Kemp as long as he lives.
Likely Outcome: I've had Kentucky going into South Carolina and winning there since the schedule came out. Now I'm not as sure as I was as the 'Cats squandered a 33-10 at home to a talented Sun Belt team, but a Sun Belt team nonetheless. They won't be facing a Sun Belt team on Saturday. The key to this game, like the last game, will be the defense's ability to stop the run and the reliability of Patrick Towles.
Even though I'm not as sure as I once was, week two is usually an improvement over week one, and South Carolina has problems of their own. I think Kentucky is a more talented team and I think we will see a more polished game plan from the 'Cats.
Kentucky wins 40-35