Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops addressed the media earlier this week ahead of the Wildcats' trip to Columbia to face South Carolina in a Saturday night showdown at Williams-Brice Stadium at 7:45 p.m.
Stoops framed the matchup as a tough SEC road challenge, stating that the team was looking forward to a great opportunity. "It’s going to be a great challenge; it’s a game that’s important to both of us in a South Carolina team that’s very good coming off a tough loss. So I’m sure they’ll be amped up.”
Freshman quarterback Cutter Bole will be tested in his first SEC night road start. Stoops emphasized the preparation with silent counts, crowd noise, and discipline. "What a great atmosphere. It’s always a real challenge… we got to really work it this week with the silent count and crowd noise and all those things.”
Stoops also stressed protecting the football and limiting pre-snap errors, stating that they need to play clean. He also underlined the need for the offensive line to neutralize South Carolina's pass rush, “We know South Carolina can harass the quarterback. We have to give him some time. We have to have some balance as well.”
The Kentucky coaching staff knows that sophomore edge rusher Dylan Stewart can take over games. Stoop stressed that you have to know where Stewart is and create a plan to hold their own against him.
Stoops commented on Gamecock quarterback LaNorris Sellers remains the centerpiece, “It’s very easy to see that the offense running through LaNorris (Sellers), just an extremely talented player, the velocity that he has on it, the accuracy, very impressive. He’s tough. He’s good in a lot of ways.” Stoops called Sellers "different" from other mobile quarterbacks that the Kentucky squad has faced.
South Carolina's return game drew heavy praise from Stoops as well. “They’re very good in all phases, in the return game with (Vicari) Swain, you know, he’s been very dynamic, with three touchdowns, pretty impressive in four games.”
Head coach Mark Stoops' remarks make it clear that Kentucky is preparing for a hostile night in Columbia. He repeatedly circled back to South Carolina's ability to wreck games on defense, the challenge of slowing LaNorris Sellers, and the danger of Vicari Swain on special teams. With Williams-Brice Stadium set to be rocking under the lights, the Gamecocks will aim to turn Stoops' respect into reality by protecting their home turf in a pivotal SEC matchup.