5 Things You Need to Know About the South Carolina Gamecocks

For the first time this season the Kentucky Wildcats are hitting the road. Coach Stoops and company are coming off of a bye week after starting the season 2-1. Saturday’s contest against the South Carolina Gamecocks is one of two early season games that many fans circled on the schedule as potential “swing games.” The first was at home against a Top 20 Ole Miss team that ended in a hard fought 30-23 defeat. Now, to accomplish any sort of successful season, the ‘Cats will need to go on the road and defeat the Gamecocks. Setting such binary expectations may seem unfair, but that is the cost of doing business in the gauntlet of the Southeastern Conference.

When it comes to Saturday’s “swing game” the good news for Kentucky is that South Carolina is struggling. The Gamecocks were knocking on the door of the Top 10 after opening with wins over Virginia Tech and South Carolina State. However, things quickly came crashing down after that. A 31-7 loss at home to Vanderbilt sent the Gamecocks spiraling out of the Top 25 rankings. Then, last week, they lost 29-20 at Missouri to fall to 2-2 on the year. South Carolina has really struggled along the line of scrimmage which could be music to the Wildcats’ ears. Especially if it turns into a wet one Saturday night there are certainly reasons for optimism on Kentucky’s side of his matchup.

As always, Kentucky Sports Radio’s football experts Nick Roush and Adam Luckett have spent the week providing in-depth breakdowns of the Wildcats’ opponent. 11 Personnel and the KSR Football Podcast have you covered as well if you prefer preparing for Saturday’s game via audio. However, for those looking for a more surface level preview you have come to the right place. Here are five things you need to know about the South Carolina Gamecocks.

South Carolina Features Ugly Offensive Statistics

The South Carolina Gamecocks traditionally aren’t great offensively under head coach Shane Beamer. However, this unit is shaping up to be one of the worst of his tenure. The Gamecocks are 99th in scoring putting up 22.3 points per game through four weeks. They rank outside of the Top 100 in nearly every other meaningful offensive statistic. Whether it is points per drive (1.50, 104th), success rate (38.3%, 110th), yards per play (5.34, 101st), third down conversions (29.79%, 126th), havoc rate allowed (14.4%, 118th), or red zone touchdown percentage (37.5%, 130th) this group has really struggled on the offensive side of the ball.

Kentucky’s defense should have opportunities to put South Carolina behind the chains. Putting pressure on the quarterback and stuffing the run game have been strengths of this Wildcats’ defense. The good news for Week Five is that the strengths of Kentucky’s defense align pretty well with the weaknesses of South Carolina’s offense. If the ‘Cats come to play in Columbia they could really flex their muscles defensively.

LaNorris Sellers’ Heisman Campaign is Dying

There was a ton of preseason hype surrounding South Carolina Gamecocks’ quarterback LaNorris Sellers. Being the top pick in the NFL Draft and winning the Hesiman Trophy were certainly on the table for the redshirt sophomore. Sellers threw for 2,534 yards and 18 touchdowns last season while leading the Gamecocks to a nine-win season and a Top 20 finish in the AP Poll. He certainly hasn’t been bad this season, but the Heisman buzz has certainly dwindled after back-to-back losses.

Sellers is still finding success through the air, but his rushing ability has been largely contained. Last season he rushed for 852 non-sack yards and seven touchdowns. However, he has just 95 rushing yards and one touchdown this season. The passing attack has netted 733 yards and four scores including 10.0 yards per attempt. When Sellers has time good things have happened for South Carolina. Explosive plays have been the life blood of an otherwise sputtering offense. Containing the talented dual threat quarterback will be vital for the Kentucky defense.

Disappointments at the Skill Positions

On paper, the South Carolina Gamecocks backfield looked like a strength. Especially when you add in the rushing ability of LaNorris Sellers it was fair to assume that running the football would be a strong point. However, the South Carolina rushing attack ranks 118th in success rate and 124 in EPA per play. Rahsul Faison ran for 1,109 yards last season at Utah State. In four games with the Gamecocks he has accumulated just 140 yards on 33 attempts. It has not been a smooth transition for the sixth year senior. Meanwhile, Oscar Adaway III returned to the backfield after rushing for 295 yards and three touchdowns last season. He came to South Carolina after putting up just shy of 2,000 rushing yards in four seasons at North Texas. Adaway III has just 93 yards on 25 carries this season.

Finding reliable pass catching targets has gone much better than the ground game. Nyck Harbor features an impressive combination of size and speed and leads the Gamecocks in targets through four games. He has been Sellers’ explosive play hook up reeling in 21 yards per reception. However, he has just 10 catches on 18 targets. It is generally boom or bust when Sellers looks downfield to Harbor. After a big game against Missouri, Vandrevius Jacobs could become a go-to target. He has 13 receptions for 215 yards and two touchdowns. Donovan Murph and Brian Rowe Jr. are two other names to know that will likely factor into the South Carolina passing attack.

Gamecocks Remain Solid Defensively

A big reason for the South Carolina Gamecocks success in 2024 was a dominant defense. They put together one of the best units in the Southeastern Conference, but five starters from that group went in the NFL Draft. Plugging in the gaps of so many talented players isn’t an easy task. So far though South Carolina has done a pretty good job. The return of sophomore superstar Dylan Stewart is a great starting point. Stewart was immediately one of the best pash rushers in college football when he stepped on campus. He posted six sacks and 11.5 tackles for loss as a true freshman and has already posted 15 pressures in 93 pash rush snaps this season. Containing Stewart will be a massive assignment for the Big Blue Wall on Saturday night.

Stewart has some help when it comes to getting to the quarterback as well. Fellow defensive lineman Bryan Thomas Jr. will attack from the opposite edge and has found a good deal of success early on this season. The one-two punch of Stewart and Thomas Jr. will certainly test Kentucky’s offensive line and new starting quarterback Cutter Boley. It is inevitable that they will put Boley on his back a time or two. However, the Wildcats cannot afford to let the pocket collapse consistently. Running the football will likely be a big part of the game plan anyway which should help negate some of the Gamecocks’ strength in the pass rush.

Beamer Ball

Frank Beamer popularized “Beamer Ball” across 29 seasons at Virginia Tech. Emphasizing the third phase, special teams, was a big part of the Hokies success. Now, his son Shane Beamer, has maintained many of those principles. The kicking game is good, 45 yards per punt is a Top 20 number, and there will be attempts to win the field position battle throughout the game. However, the real star of the show this season has been punt returner Vicari Swain. He has returned seven punts through four games and three of them have gone for touchdowns. That explosiveness can be a game-changer as it very much was in the South Carolina Gamecocks win over Virginia Tech in week one. Kentucky can’t afford to allow South Carolina to change the game in the third phase.