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Bob Dixon

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Go Big Blue!

JOE COX: Gut Check for Cats Against Gamecocks

Even coming off a 22-19 loss to Ole Miss last week, Kentucky’s matchup with South Carolina looked like a get-well game. The Wildcats have won 7 of their last 8 matchups with the Gamecocks. South Carolina has been mediocre in most phases of the game, and the Wildcats were a clear favorite.

And then the news came.


Kentucky QB Will Levis apparently was injured in the Ole Miss game, and reports surfacing late Wednesday suggested that it was questionable whether Levis would be available for action on Saturday night against South Carolina. Remember that Levis is the star of Kentucky’s offense, a likely NFL first round draft pick, and the only experienced quarterback on Kentucky’s roster. Backup QB Kaiya Sheron has yet to throw a single collegiate pass.


Kentucky has plenty of other injury concerns—tackle Jeremy Flax and linebacker Jacquez Jones are apparently out for Saturday, and defensive end JJ Weaver and a host of other Wildcats are somewhere between questionable and limited for South Carolina.


But Levis is different.


If Kentucky is without Levis, or if he is severely limited, we’re back to the days when Eddie Gran could re-write the Kentucky offense in a matter of days. Gran did so twice, once in 2016 when Drew Barker’s back injury basically ended his career and again in 2019, when a dearth of healthy quarterbacks left Lynn Bowden playing the position for UK. Gran wasn’t beloved for his insistence on the ground game and failure to develop a passing attack. But he might have been ahead of his time.


Offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello could be facing his proving ground. And so could the rest of the Wildcats.


Kentucky football has had a bad habit of letting one setback turn into two and maybe three. The Wildcats badly need to win against South Carolina. And now, Kentucky’s biggest weapon is either missing or limited.


The matchup with the Gamecocks changed from a get-well game to a gut-check game. If the Wildcats can take care of business and grab the victory, a big-time season is still in play. If not, with Mississippi State and Tennessee up next on the schedule, a promising start could dissolve in a hurry.


Plenty of commentators will jump on South Carolina’s apparent momentum with Levis now listed as questionable. Can Levis play through his injury and lead Kentucky to an important win? Can Kentucky win without Levis—somehow?


The guess here is yes. Mark Stoops has earned it. No other UK coach would have inspired this kind of confidence. But no other UK coach since Bear Bryant has delivered with the frequency of the cool hand of Mark Stoops.


Don’t ask how—because who knows—but the Wildcats will find a way.


Kentucky 24, South Carolina 21.


Other SEC Predictions:


LSU 29, Tennessee 28

Mississippi State 38, Arkansas 28

Florida 31, Missouri 28

Georgia 48, Auburn 6

Ole Miss 45, Vanderbilt 10

Alabama 52, Texas A&M 14


Joe Cox is contributing editor for KySportsStyle.com Magazine. He grew up in Letcher County and Bell County and has written or co-written nine books. His most recent, "A Fine Team Man: Jackie Robinson and the Lives He Changed," was released in February 2019 and can be ordered on Amazon or at many local bookstores. Joe is an attorney and lives in Logan County with his wife and children. You can reach him at jrcox004@gmail.com.


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