If the 3-0 Kentucky Wildcats want to move up the SEC pecking order, a big part of that climb will consist of winning games that are essentially TCB—taking care of business. The Wildcats are roughly a five-point road favorite at South Carolina, and while UK already won a TCB game two weeks ago over Missouri, this one does require the Cats to pick up a victory on the road, in the loud and fairly hostile environment of Williams-Brice Stadium.
Years ago, Carolina reeled off routine wins over UK, with Lou Holtz outbattling Guy Morriss or Steve Spurrier consistently finding a way to sneak past Rich Brooks. But now, Mark Stoops is the second longest tenured head coach in the SEC, and he’s 6-1 in his last seven matchups with South Carolina. Carolina has turned over a new leaf in entrusting their program to first-time head coach Shane Beamer.
The Gamecocks are 2-1 by virtue of getting thumped last weekend at Georgia, 40-14, after bludgeoning FCS foe Eastern Illinois and sneaking past East Carolina on the road. Gamecock QB Luke Doty has been injured, but should be close to full strength against Kentucky. He started against UK in last year’s 41-18 loss at Kroger Field. Despite a stable of talented backs, Carolina’s ground game has been ho-hum so far in 2021. Meanwhile, their offensive line has allowed eight sacks and Carolina has the least productive offense in the SEC so far.
Kentucky was lucky to sneak past FCS Chattanooga last week by a 28-23 count. If Tyrell Ajian had not managed a 95-yard pick-six in the fourth quarter, the Wildcats might not have made it out in one piece. That said, it was a win, and many prior Kentucky teams would have lost such a game. Kentucky was flat, unmotivated, and got under 50 yards rushing from Chris Rodriguez.
The Wildcats can’t afford to play like that in a TCB game, or they could repeat what happened in the 10-win 2018 season when they had a TCB game in Knoxville and didn’t bother showing up, as Tennessee took care of business with a 24-7 win. Since that game, Kentucky has been a road favorite in the SEC just twice.
But this UK team is simply more talented and deeper than Carolina. Rodriguez and UK’s Big Blue Wall offensive line won’t repeat last week’s subpar performance, and Carolina lacks enough offensive firepower to compete for four quarters.
UK 31, South Carolina 21
Here’s my weekly predictions around the rest of the SEC:
Georgia 41, Vanderbilt 7
LSU 24, Mississippi State 23
Boston College 24, Missouri 21
Texas A&M 31, Arkansas 24
Auburn 49, Georgia State 10
Florida 38, Tennessee 21
Alabama 52, Southern Mississippi 3
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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