3 Kentucky players to watch against South Carolina

Kentucky is back on the road for the final two weeks of the 2023 season after a tough blowout loss to Alabama on senior day. The Wildcats (6-4, 3-4) are looking to get their third road victory of the season at Williams-Brice Stadium.

An 8-4 season is still on the table for Mark Stoops and his football team. To get there, Kentucky must handle its business against Shane Beamer‘s South Carolina team. We’ve seen some crazy late line movement as this figures to be a true toss-up game.

If Kentucky is to leave Columbia victorious for the fourth time in the Stoops era, these are the players that need to have strong performances on the road.

Finding offensive balance

Kentucky has scored 21-plus offensive points against every defense not named Georgia. Under offensive coordinator Liam Coen we’ve seen the Wildcats make some notable strides in multiple statistical categories.

Kentucky has reached 300-plus rushing yards once and averaged over five yards per carry against three SEC foes. The passing game has had some rough moments, but the Wildcats have shown some improvement in recent weeks. But the biggest current problem with the offense is the traditional ground game.

Since rolling up 128 yards on 20 rushes in Week 7 against Missouri, we’ve seen Vanderbilt transfer Ray Davis hit a wall. The last three games for the redshirt senior tailback have not been pretty.

• Tennessee: 16 carries, 42 yards, 1 touchdown, 2.63 yards per rush
• Mississippi State: 21 carries, 80 yards, 0 touchdowns, 3.81 yards per rush
• Alabama: 12 carries, 26 yards, 2 touchdowns, 2.17 yards per rush

Defenses are making a concerted effort to take Davis away. Kentucky’s offense has made defenses pay for that in the throw game, but this offense needs balance to be at its best. Facing a South Carolina defense that has allowed 190-plus rushing yards in four games this season, this could be a good day for Davis to get rolling again.

If the Cats are productive in the traditional run game, that could create some advantageous situations against a passing defense that has allowed over seven yards per attempt in seven power conference games this season.

Winning a favorable matchup on the line of scrimmage

South Carolina’s offensive line is a major, major problem. The Gamecocks have one of the worst offensive lines in the Power Five. There have been multiple injuries and lineup changes. This is one of the worst positional units in the SEC.

Spencer Rattler’s sack rate (9.1%) is high, this offense cannot run the football (No. 125 in rushing success rate), and the pressure rate allowed (35.9%) makes everything difficult for this offense. South Carolina is bad at the point of attack. Kentucky must take advantage.

That means taking away the traditional run game and heating up Rattler on passing downs. Deone Walker (35 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, 2 pass breakups, 32 pressures) has been Kentucky’s best defensive player. Kentucky needs the sophomore to make some big plays on Saturday.

If Rattler has time and this offense can play ahead of the chains, Kentucky could have a long night in Williams-Brice Stadium. The Wildcats must stop the run and put pressure on the quarterback. Good things will happen for this defense if that happens.

Kentucky needs Walker to play well so this defense can take advantage of a notable advantage in the trenches.

Winning in isolation

Kentucky’s passing defense is a problem. The pass rush isn’t helping enough, safety play has been poor, and zone concepts have been shredded by multiple good passing offenses. This is the biggest weakness of the team.

Look for South Carolina and Spencer Rattler to attempt to take advantage of this. However, it’s important to notice where the personnel strengths are with the Gamecocks. Xavier Legette is the clear WR1 for this offense and he leads the team in receptions (59), targets (78), receiving yards (1,093), receiving touchdowns (5), and explosive receptions (27). The super senior is a true X receiver who will look to win one-on-ones.

Kentucky will need its cornerbacks to win some one-on-ones against Legette. Outside of the outside receiver, South Carolina does not have another receiver at 300 yards. In some ways, this is a one-man passing operation.

Maxwell Hairston has had a very good season and has been this defense’s best player outside of Walker. The redshirt sophomore leads the SEC in interceptions (five) and ranks fourth in total passes defended (nine). Kentucky will need Hairston to win some battles against Legette.

If Kentucky can slow down big No. 17, this South Carolina becomes much easier to defend. Hairston needs to play well, but Andru Phillips and JQ Hardaway might also need to win some battles against the star receiver.