KSR GAMEDAY: Kentucky Kicks Off SEC Play vs. South Carolina
By Nick Roush,
2024-09-07
There is no extended runway. The Cats don’t even have a complete game under their belt. No time for excuses. It’s Football Time in the Bluegrass. Kentucky is kicking off the first game of the 2024 SEC season this Saturday afternoon at Kroger Field against a bitter foe, the South Carolina Gamecocks.
Even though neither school considers the other a rival, these two former SEC East programs do not like one another. Tensions increased between each program when Kentucky rattled off seven wins over eight years. That was amplified when Shane Beamer turned the tables and won the first Sunglass Bowl back in 2022. Now the Gamecocks have back-to-back victories over the Wildcats.
Typically a low-scoring affair, that recent trend may very well continue today. South Carolina is breaking in a first-time starter, LaNorris Sellers , a duel-threat athlete who completed less than 50% of his passes in week one. The Gamecocks want to run the ball to move the sticks, but that’s the strength of the Kentucky defense.
On the other side of the line of scrimmage, Kentucky has a new quarterback of its own. Brock Vandagriff flashed during his brief week one appearance, throwing for three touchdowns and averaging 7.0 yards per carry on five rushing attempts. He’ll be hunted by a couple of excellent edge rushers who played a part in creating four turnovers and five sacks last week in Columbia.
Kentucky has the cards to cash in big to open SEC play, but South Carolina has proven to be more than capable of playing spoiler throughout Shane Beamer’s previous three seasons. Prepare for physical four hours of SEC football at Kroger Field.
You can also keep up with the game and chat with other fans on our game thread on KSBoard , with Nick Roush, Adam Luckett, and Drew Franklin providing updates from Kroger Field and the rest of us from our couches at home.
Wagering Angles for Kentucky vs. South Carolina
The spread has moved quite a bit since it opened on Sunday. It peaked into the double digits but has fallen to Kentucky -8.5 on gameday. The total is 42.5. The under is 8-1 in the last nine meetings between Kentucky and South Carolina.
The Wildcats are 7-3-1 ATS in SEC openers under Mark Stoops. South Carolina is 3-5 ATS as a road dog of a touchdown or more with only one outright upset under Beamer.
Saturday Gameday Schedule
The SEC Network is in town, which means it’s going to be an early morning for Kentucky football fans outside of Kroger Field.
8 am — Kroger Field Tailgate Lots Open 9 am — Marty & McGee kicks things off in the Orange Lot 10 am — SEC Nation 11:30 am — The KSR Pregame Show LIVE from KSBar and Grille 12:30 pm — LexTran Shuttle Begins 1:30 pm — Cat Walk 3:45 pm — Kickoff on ABC
Kentucky Hosting Official Visitors
Even though recruiting feels like an afterthought now that the season is in full swing, the Kentucky coaches can’t take their foot off the gas on the recruiting trail. That’s why this weekend the Wildcats are hosting a pair of official visitors.
Four-star tight end Mikkel Skinner is a South Carolina native who visited Columbia last weekend. He’s committed to Cincinnati, but there are multiple RPM picks for Vince Marrow to flip the talented athlete. Dyllon Williams , a three-star hard-hitting defensive back from Alabama, is also officially visiting this weekend, even though he committed to Missouri over the summer.
Kickoff Forecast
Big Blue Nation spent its first college football Saturday of the year dodging severe weather that ultimately delayed the game for more than two hours. That should not be the case today. It’s Chamber of Commerce weather in Lexington after showers cooled things down on Friday. Accuweather calls for 73 degrees and fair skies when the action kicks off at Kroger Field. It doesn’t get much better than that.
Fit Check
The Wildcats are wearing Kentucky blue in the ABC spotlight. As Kahlil Saunders showed us Friday evening, Kentucky is rocking blue from their heads to their toes. The Cats are 19-9 under Mark Stoops when the Wildcats wear blue jerseys and blue pants.
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