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Tonight, the Kentucky Wildcats face the South Carolina Gamecocks in Lexington. The history between this series has been that the Wildcats have played Gamecocks teams tough in Lexington, and the Gamecocks, for whatever reason, haven't been all that great here.
As others have mentioned, this contest has the requisite hallmarks of a trap game -- a visit to a historically difficult opponent after a big win and just before two huge games against quality SEC foes.
Tweet of the morning:
RT @drewcallihan: @johnclayiv UK always plays SC tough at home. . . . Cats cover//11 UK-USC games here decided by avg of 7 points
— John Clay (@johnclayiv) September 29, 2012
Indeed.
Your Quickies for this fine Saturday morning:
Lee Ann Herring-Olvedco argues that Kentucky should play it's young talent over older, less talented players. I don't think she's right. I think Kentucky should play the player who is most ready at every position, regardless of class.
Guess what, Kentucky still has the same football coach // John Clay's Sidelines
John Clay mocks the absurd claims by some Internet message boards that Phillips has already been effectively canned. He's right to do so.
BBL: Kentucky-South Carolina preview links // John Clay's Sidelines
South Carolina Gamecocks at Kentucky Wildcats: Three Keys and Prediction // Garnet And Black Attack
I do worry about Clowney and Taylor getting to Smith. The offensive tackles will really have their job cut out for them today.
Kentucky denies that Joker Phillips has resigned | CollegeFootballTalk
A report surfaced Friday afternoon claiming that Phillips had resigned. While the report itself ended up being bogus, it still gained enough attention that the school had to officially deny it.
We don't need this kind of stupidity.
No deja vu: S. Carolina in romp // BostonHerald.com
That was the only time Steve Spurrier has lost to the Wildcats, and the upset left an obvious impression. Last season the Gamecocks throttled Kentucky, 54-3, in Columbia and the Old Ball Coach ran up the score with 21 fourth-quarter points including a last minute, pass-filled drive.
If we were to somehow upset the Gamecocks, there is no doubt Spurrier would be very, very vexed.
Today’s SEC game previews // John Clay's Sidelines
Yeah, we're going to be pretty good this year.
Cats – Gamecocks comparison // Bleed Blue Kentucky
If you are a UK fan, the numbers are not what you want to look at.
The last time South Carolina brought a top-10 team to the University of Kentucky’s Commonwealth Stadium, two seasons ago, the Gamecocks blew a 28-10 halftime lead and the Wildcats delivered their biggest win under coach Joker Phillips. Last fall, USC returned the favor with a 54-3 throttling in Columbia, during which coach Steve Spurrier seemed intent on running up the score and after which he leveled a series of signature insults.
Well, that's a bit of history in our favor. Of course, we had a guy on that team that is doing a lot on Sundays. Would that we had Randall Cobb for this game.
I love to see freshmen who seize the day. Good luck to Cody, I hope he makes the most of it. Also, it gives Martavius Neloms a shot at the safety spot, which I think is where he belongs.
Kentucky Sports Radio // Will the return of Max Smith mean the return of Aaron Boyd?
Could be. We need more Boyd. Of course, as badly as Newton threw the ball, it's hard to be surprised he didn't get many thrown his way. Or maybe he did. We'll never know.
Bill Self agrees to contract extension through 2022 // John Clay's Sidelines
Making Calipari money now.
Louisville’s Mike Marra tears his ACL again // John Clay's Sidelines
This is very, very sad news. I hate to see something like this, but perhaps he can make lemonade out of this horrible lemon by becoming a GA coach. I hope the best for him, and Rick Pitino is really trying to help him out. Admirable.
Kentucky Sports Radio // Breaking Down South Carolina
We'll have our own preview up a bit later.
Calipari is recruiting … even when he’s not recruiting // UK basketball recruiting news
What can you say?