Kentucky Travels to South Carolina for SEC Opener
Kentucky dispatched a game Eastern Kentucky squad last Saturday to move to 2-0 on the season and now turns its attention to Southeastern Conference play with a trip to South Carolina this weekend. The Cats will be looking for their fourth win in a row vs. the Gamecocks, who have been impressive in starting 2-0, including a SEC road win at Missouri.
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| Kentucky at South Carolina | ||
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| Sat., Sept. 16 – 7:30 p.m. ET Kroger Field Lexington, Ky. Game Notes: UK  | SC Digital Gameday Program |
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TV: SEC Network |
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| UK | 2017 Team Stats | SC |
| 2-0 | 2017 Record | 2-0 |
| 0-0 | Conference Record | 1-0 |
| 25.5 | Scoring/game | 33.0 |
| 345.0 | Total offense/game | 302.5 |
| 142.5 | Rushing yards/game | 101.5 |
| 202.5 | Passing yards/game | 201.0 |
| 25.2 | Kickoff returns (avg) | 43.5 |
| -1.0 | Punt returns (avg) | 8.7 |
| 41.0 | Punting (avg) | 44.7 |
| 30:15 | Time of possession/game | 30:28 |
| 34.6% | Third down conversion | 48.1% |
| 00.0% | Fourth down conversion | 00.0% |
| 16.5 | Points allowed/game | 20.5 |
| 341.0 | Total yards allowed/game | 463.5 |
| 58.5 | Rush yards allowed/game | 133.5 |
| 282.5 | Pass yards allowed/game | 330.0 |
The Cats now are 9-3 over their past 12 regular season games, including a win at No. 11 Louisville in the 2016 regular season finale. The Cats count three road wins among those nine wins, a testament to the mature and talented roster head coach Mark Stoops has built through recruiting.
The SEC opener will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia and air on the SEC Network.
Cat Scratches: Cats Have a Sense of Urgency for South Carolina Week
Mark Stoops experienced a first at his weekly press conference on Monday: Someone referred to him as “jolly.”
The description came in the context of a question about why Stoops seems happier now compared to past seasons, beyond the fact that Kentucky is 2-0 to start 2017.
Though the word caught Stoops a little off guard, he did agree with the general premise and even offered some insight into why it might be the case.
“I’ve never heard that word with me,” Stoops said. “I just feel like this team, they’re fun to coach. They want to get better.”
And Stoops wants to help them do exactly that. In fact, he says that may be the real reason why he was coming across as so cheerful.
“I guess that’s why I’m so jolly because I can’t wait to go rip somebody’s butt,” Stoops said. “That’s the truth.”…Read More
Scouting South Carolina
• USC is 2-0 this season with wins vs. North Carolina State and at Missouri.
• South Carolina is coming off a 2016 season that saw the Gamecocks go 6-7 overall, including 3-5 in the SEC. The Gamecocks went on to earn a bid in the Birmingham Bowl, where they fell short to the South Florida Bulls, 46-39.
• Head coach Will Muschamp is entering his second season with the Gamecocks. In his first year directing the program, the Gamecocks doubled their win total from the pervious season while increasing their SEC wins from one to three.
• Last season under head coach Will Muschamp, the Gamecocks were the only Division I school to have true freshmen lead the team in both passing and rushing. South Carolina has a very young, but impactful, team as seventy-six of the Gamecocks’ 113-man Birmingham Bowl roster were either freshmen or sophomores.
• South Carolina averaged 20.8 points per game and allowed opponents an average of 26.5 points per game. South Carolina returns both Jake Bentley and Rico Dowdle who led the team in passing and rushing. After not competing in the first six games, Jake Bentley started in the final seven. He was 125-for-190 for 1,420 yards and nine touchdowns and just four interceptions. Rico Dowdle led the team with 133 carries for 764 yards.
• Defensively, South Carolina returns key players such as senior safety, D.J. Smith, who started every game in 2016. He led the team with 80 tackles, including 62 solo stops, the third highest total of solo tackles in the SEC.
• The Gamecocks are averaging 43.5 yards per kickoff return, with Deebo Samuel already having returned two for touchdowns in as many games.
Series Record vs. South Carolina
• Kentucky has won the past three meetings.
• The two teams have been very competitive recently, with the past four meetings being decided by an average of 6.3 points. None of those contests were decided by more than a touchdown. The Cats trailed 7-3 at halftime and were tied at 10 entering the fourth quarter last season before Benny Snell Jr.’s touchdown run gave them a late lead and Denzil Ware’s sack closed the door on Carolina.
• South Carolina leads the series in Columbia, 8-4-1.
A UK Win Would…
• Give the Cats 10 wins in their past 13 regular season games.
• Give Coach Mark Stoops a 4-1 record against South Carolina.
• Be the Cats’ fourth true road win in the past two seasons.
• GIve UK a 1-0 record in SEC play with four of the remaining seven league games at Kroger Field.
• Be starO ng QB Stephen Johnson’s 10th win since taking over in 2016, eighth as a starter and two in a relief role.
Texas Roadhouse Countdown to Kickoff Show
The Countdown to Kickoff show will air starting two hours prior to kickoff. Freddie Maggard will serve as the analyst on the Texas Roadhouse Countdown to Kickoff alongside host Christi Thomas. For home games, the show will air live from in front of Nutter Field House outside gate 1 of Kroger Field with special guests and giveaways. The set of the show is conveniently located near the Coke Fan Zone in Nutter Field House and the Cat Walk presented by Chevy.
For the first time, the Texas Roadhouse Countdown to Kickoff will go on the road and broadcast live from select Kroger locations in Kentucky.
Sept. 16 (South Carolina) – 3101 Richmond Road, Lexington
Oct. 21 (Mississippi State) – 300 Brighton Park Boulevard, Frankfort
Nov. 11 (Vanderbilt) – 212 Kroger Way, Versailles
Nov. 18 (Georgia) – 3175 Beaumont Circle, Lexington
