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The Kentucky Wildcats will take on the South Carolina Gamecocks in Lexington on Saturday night.
The Cats will be looking to bounce back after a really tough road loss to the Ole Miss Rebels this past weekend. That loss left Kentucky with a 4-1 record (1-1 SEC) as they go after their eighth win in the last nine tries against South Carolina.
Luckily for UK, we saw Chris Rodriguez make his long awaited debut in Oxford. While the ground game still struggled, I can’t imagine how bad it would've been without Rodriguez, who broke tackle after tackle fighting for extra yards. Additionally, JJ Weaver is hoping to make his return after missing the last two games against Ole Miss and the Northern Illinois Huskies.
South Carolina heads into Lexington with a 3-2 record (0-2 SEC). The Gamecocks’ two losses came at Arkansas, a top-25 opponent, and at home versus the Georgia Bulldogs, the second ranked team in the country.
While South Carolina has won their last two games, those wins came against Charlotte and South Carolina State—not the most formidable opponents. However, they were able to put up 50+ points in this back-to-back games, which was a first for the program since 1995.
Spencer Rattler, the Gamecock starting quarterback and former five-star recruit, has struggled this season as he’s thrown for 1,121 yards and four touchdowns to go with seven interceptions. While the passing game has struggled quite a bit, the run game has proven to be a strength despite questionable offensive line play. MarShawn Lloyd is a redshirt sophomore averaging more than six yards per carry to go along with six touchdowns. Lloyd has also proven himself to be a capable pass catcher out of the backfield as he’s notched 13 receptions for 118 yards and two touchdowns on the season.
No SEC game is ever easy, but this is one of Kentucky’s weakest remaining opponents and they need a big win after the loss this past weekend. The Cats have opened as an early 10.5-point favorite via DraftKings Sportsbook. I expect them to get it done, but what do you think?
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