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KSR GAMEDAY: Kentucky Kicks Off SEC Play vs. South Carolina

Nick Roushby:Nick Roush09/07/24

RoushKSR

University of Kentucky students at Kroger Field - Dr. Michael Huang, Kentucky Sports Radio
University of Kentucky students at Kroger Field - Dr. Michael Huang, Kentucky Sports Radio

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.

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Kentucky vs. South Carolina: How to Watch

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.

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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.

UK Athletics

Pregame Reading

College Football Schedule

No. 23 Georgia Tech at SyracuseNoon ETACC Network
Bowling Green at No. 8 Penn StateNoon ETBig Ten Network
No. 3 Texas at No. 10 MichiganNoon ETFOX
Arkansas at No. 16 Oklahoma StateNoon ETABC
No. 17 Kansas State at TulaneNoon ETESPN
Pittsburgh at CincinnatiNoon ETESPN2
Iowa State at No. 21 IowaNoon ETCBS
Eastern Michigan at WashingtonNoon ETBig Ten Network
South Carolina at Kentucky3:30pm ETABC
Michigan State at Maryland3:30pm ETBig Ten Network
Baylor at No. 11 Utah3:30pm ETFOX
California at Auburn3:30pm ETESPN2
UTSA at Texas State4:00pm ETESPNU
Middle Tennessee at No. 6 Ole Miss4:15pm ETSEC Network
Marshall at Virginia Tech4:30pm ETThe CW
Virginia at Wake Forest7:00pm ETESPN2
South Florida at No. 4 Alabama7:00pm ETESPN
No. 19 Kansas at Illinois7:00pm ETFS1
Western Michigan at No. 2 Ohio State7:30pm ETBig Ten Network
No. 14 Tennessee at No. 24 NC State7:30pm ETABC
Colorado at Nebraska7:30pm ETNBC
Houston at No. 15 Oklahoma7:45pm ETSEC Network
Appalachian State at No. 25 Clemson8:00pm ETACC Network
Texas Tech at Washington State10:00pm ETFOX
Boise State at No. 7 Oregon10:00pm ETPeacock
Liberty at New Mexico State10:15pm ETESPN2
Mississippi State at Arizona State10:30pm ETESPN
Oregon State at San Diego State10:30pm ETCBS Sports Network
Utah State at No. 13 USC11:00pm ETBig Ten Network

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2024-10-11