Kentucky at South Carolina could be a Wash Out

Kentucky is hitting the road to play in a hostile environment at Williams-Brice Stadium. A sold-out crowd might not be the only element the Wildcats are facing at South Carolina.

A little more than 48 hours away from kickoff, meteorologists have a gloomy forecast for the night game. According to AccuWeather, there’s a 95% chance of rain on Saturday in Columbia. That doesn’t necessarily mean that it will be raining at kickoff, but “slow-moving downpours could lead to localized flash-flooding” does not sound ideal.

However, if you break it down on an hourly basis, the weather could clear up by the time Kentucky and South Carolina take the field. By 8 PM, there is only a 34% chance of precipitation.

Fans who plan on attending the game probably don’t want to be rained on for almost four hours, but a soggy night could spell fortune for the Wildcats.

South Carolina has something Kentucky doesn’t have. The Wildcats will have a redshirt freshman at quarterback in his first SEC start on the road. The Gamecocks’ LaNorris Sellers is expected to be a first round draft pick next year.

South Carolina relies heavily on its passing attack because it’s bad in the run game, both on offense and defense. The Gamecocks rank last in the SEC in rushing yards per game (80.25) and 14th in rushing yards allowed per game (152). Opponents are out-gaining them on the ground 608-321. Meanwhile, Kentucky’s strength is in the run game with Dante Dowdell and Seth McGowan, who are second in the SEC with six rushing touchdowns.

In 2019, some folks attributed much of Lynn Bowden’s success on the ground to the elements. The wide receiver logged seven starts at quarterback and it was raining in at least four of those, including the blowout win over Louisville. Kentucky played No. 10 Georgia to a scoreless tie for a half, thanks in large part to the hurricane-like weather in Athens.

Of course, things can change in the forecast drastically over the next 48 hours. But it would be a real shame if the rain forced Kentucky to run the ball all over South Carolina on Saturday night in Columbia. Kickoff is at 7:45 PM ET on the SEC Network.

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