Game 5 Preview: Scouting the Kentucky Wildcats

Heading into Week 5, South Carolina finds itself in a familiar situation. For the fourth time in Shane Beamer‘s five years as head coach, the Gamecocks are 2-2 through four games.

Their mid-season turnaround could begin on Saturday, when they face an opponent they have defeated in each of the two teams’ last three meetings. Kentucky, like South Carolina, will be looking for its first conference win of the season in a primetime nationally broadcast matchup.

Before the contest kicks off at 7:45 p.m. on the SEC Network, here’s what the Wildcats bring to the table.

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How they got here

Kentucky was given the chance to rest this past week, as it was one of four SEC teams on bye. With a gauntlet of a schedule ahead in October — an away game at Georgia, with home games against Texas and Tennessee to follow — the Wildcats are hoping to use this weekend as an opportunity to right the ship that is their 2025 campaign.

Their two wins this season have come against Mid-American Conference (MAC) competition. Kentucky survived a fourth-quarter comeback attempt by Toledo to prevail in its season opener by a 24-16 score. Eastern Michigan, meanwhile, proved to be little match in the Wildcats’ most recent game on Sept. 13, which the latter won 48-23.

Kentucky’s lone attempt at taking down a conference opponent this season was unsuccessful, however. On Sept. 6, the Wildcats aimed to repeat history by upsetting Ole Miss for the second year in a row — this time, on their home turf at Kroger Field. The Rebels, ranked No. 20 in the nation at the time, relied on strong performances from Kewan Lacy (28 carries, 138 yards, one touchdown) and Lucas Carneiro (three made field goals) to claim a 30-23 victory on the road.

Last time out

Both Kentucky and South Carolina headed into last year’s meeting having yet to win an SEC matchup — which made sense, considering the fact that they played each other during the second week of the season. The Gamecocks ended up winning the contest in dominant fashion.

South Carolina’s defense stifled the Wildcats’ air attack, holding Brock Vandagriff to 3-of-10 passing for 30 yards and an interception. Kentucky’s leading rusher, Demie Sumo-Karngbaye, accumulated just 70 yards on 17 carries.

The Gamecocks’ offense didn’t fare much better in terms of yardage, out-gaining the Wildcats 252 to 183, but South Carolina maintained a wire-to-wire lead over 60 minutes to earn a 31-6 win. In just his second game as the team’s starting quarterback, LaNorris Sellers fired 10 complete passes (on 14 attempts) for 166 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.

Where they sit in the rankings

The Wildcats are not ranked in either the AP or USA Today Coaches polls. They also did not receive any votes in either poll, even though Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops is a voter for the latter ranking.

In ESPN’s College Football Power Index (FPI), the Wildcats ranked No. 43 with a 6.9 FPI. Their projected record is 5.3-6.7. The team has a 41.7 percent chance of winning six games and a 0.8 percent chance of reaching the College Football Playoff this season.

In ESPN’s SP+ rankings, Kentucky checks in at No. 38.

The Wildcats sit 42nd in the Massey Ratings. It ranks 52nd in offense and 29th in defense.

ESPN gives Kentucky a 42.2 percent chance to win this weekend. The Wildcats head into the contest as 5.5-point underdogs, according to ESPN BET Sportsbook.

Players to watch

Seth McGowan (Senior, running back) — The Gamecocks are set to take on another strong SEC running back in McGowan. His six rushing touchdowns this year are tied for second in the conference; he has generated 275 yards on the ground across 51 carries (a 5.4-yard average). The New Mexico State transfer is coming off a strong performance in his last game against Eastern Michigan, gaining 104 yards and scoring three times on 18 carries.

Cutter Boley (Redshirt freshman, quarterback) — Boley remains atop Kentucky’s depth chart at quarterback as Zach Calzada recovers from a shoulder injury he suffered against Ole Miss three weeks ago. Boley had a solid showing in his first start of the season against Eastern Michigan, completing 12 of his 21 pass attempts for 240 yards and two scores.

Ty Bryant (Junior, defensive back) — Five SEC defensive backs have picked off multiple passes so far this season; Bryant is one of them. Both of his interceptions came in the Wildcats’ defeat to the Rebels, resulting in drives that helped Kentucky score 10 points. In addition to being a turnover machine in the early going, Bryant is second on the team in total tackles (21), eight of which were solo stops and 0.5 of which resulted in lost yardage.

Path to victory

“Run the ball, stop the run” is a popular mantra in both professional and college football. Never has that saying been more relevant to South Carolina than now, given its struggles in both areas.

Of the SEC’s 16 teams, the Gamecocks are last in both total offense (300.5 yards) and rushing yards (80.3) per contest. South Carolina’s inability to utilize its ground game was especially apparent in its loss to Missouri last weekend, as it finished with minus-nine total rushing yards. Rahsul Faison, Oscar Adaway and Co. will be looking to have breakout performances against a Wildcats run defense that ranks in the bottom half of the SEC (11th, 136.7 rushing yards allowed per game).

That’s where the Gamecocks’ run defense resides as well. Through four games, it has surrendered 152 rushing yards per game, placing it 14th in the conference. South Carolina will be facing another talented runner in McGowan (as well as Dante Dowdell, who has 214 yards and another score in his own right), making Kentucky’s offense one-dimensional will place even more pressure on Boley. And a rowdy sell-out crowd has the potential to unsettle Kentucky’s starting signal caller even more.

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