South Carolina Football: Gamecocks return home for four straight; What does a path to bowl eligibility look like?
By Kevin Miller
South Carolina Football’s pursuit of bowl eligibility:
Kentucky Wildcats
Kentucky will be in Columbia next, and the Gamecocks are looking to win their second in a row (and 3rd out of 5 meetings) over the Wildcats. Kentucky has one of the best running backs in the SEC in Vanderbilt transfer Ray Davis, but inconsistent quarterback play from Devin Leary has been a problem for Mark Stoops’ team this fall.
Kentucky has played better than South Carolina this year, but since 2000, UK has only beaten USC three times in Columbia in 12 tries. The Gamecocks should have offensive success against a Wildcat pass defense that is only slightly better than Carolina’s. If the defense can be average, a win is very possible.
Carolina’s run defense has been at its best this season at home, and if Leary isn’t able to find his talented receiving group, the Gamecocks should be able to contain Davis and Demie Sumo-Karngbaye just enough to outpace the ‘Cats.
If Leary has success, however, that will open things up for a running game that performs very well with a lead. Stopping the run has not been something the Gamecocks have done well while trailing this season. The win in this one could be determined by which quarterback plays well early.