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First look: Top story lines, betting odds for South Carolina vs Kentucky football game

Augusta Stone
·4 min read

South Carolina football gets a home game for the first time since Week 1 as it hosts the Kentucky Wildcats this Saturday.

The Gamecocks are coming off their first loss under head coach Shane Beamer, a 40-13 defeat at the hands of No. 2 Georgia in their Southeastern Conference opener.

Fans going to the game at Williams-Brice Stadium should expect the face covering requirement, in line with a city of Columbia ordinance, as well as SEC Network crews in Columbia. SEC Nation will return to South Carolina to host its Saturday morning gameday show with various ESPN personalities, including Paul Finebaum, Laura Rutledge and Tim Tebow.

How to watch South Carolina vs Kentucky football game

Who: South Carolina Gamecocks (2-1, 0-1 SEC) vs. Kentucky Wildcats (3-0, 1-0 SEC)

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Where: Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, S.C.

When: 7 p.m. Saturday

TV: ESPN2

Stream: via ESPN app

This week’s SEC betting odds, TV times

Kentucky opened Sunday as 6-point favorites, according to VegasInsider, with the Wildcats favored Sunday evening by 5 points. South Carolina has lost six of its last seven games against UK, but won 24-7 the last time they hosted Kentucky at Williams-Brice Stadium in 2019.

College football open point spreads, according to VegasInsider.com

  • Noon: Georgia (-31) at Vanderbilt

  • Noon: LSU (-4) at Mississippi State

  • Noon: Missouri at Boston College (-1)

  • 3:30 p.m.: Texas A&M (-5) vs. Arkansas*

  • 4 p.m.: Georgia State at Auburn (-23)

  • 7 p.m.: Tennessee at Florida (-17)

  • 7 p.m.: Kentucky (-5) at South Carolina

  • 7:30 p.m.: Southern Miss at Alabama (-46)

*Line according to Circa Sports.

The state of the Gamecocks

South Carolina’s loss to Georgia was ugly, but there doesn’t seem to be any panic in the Gamecocks’ locker room.

Beamer maintained his signature optimistic attitude in the postgame news conference Saturday night, and South Carolina did have some realistic positives to take away from defeat. See: Safety Jaylan Foster tying for first in the country with three interceptions through three games (including two against Georgia) and wide receiver Josh Vann finally emerging at third in the SEC with 282 yards on 10 catches.

But South Carolina did lose three starters during the Georgia game because of injuries. Linebacker Sherrod Greene was injured on the game’s second play from scrimmage and had his right foot in a cast after being carted to the locker room. Beamer told reporters that Greene had surgery Sunday morning and that he’ll be “out for a while.”

Quarterback Zeb Noland left the game in the first quarter with a hand injury, bringing Luke Doty back under center. Noland is expected to be available Saturday against Kentucky.

Defensive back Cam Smith’s left foot, which had just recovered from a surgical repair in the offseason, was stepped on against Georgia. He should be able to play this weekend, Beamer said.

South Carolina will search to get its first conference win at home against Kentucky.

The state of the UK Wildcats

Kentucky impressed in its first SEC contest against Missouri, lighting up the Tigers with 332 rushing yards and generating enough buzz to be considered for a Top 25 ranking.

But Saturday’s meeting with FCS UT-Chattanooga showed that Kentucky is certainly beatable.

The Mocs kept it close in their visit to Lexington, keeping the Wildcats’ defense on its toes just one week removed from their SEC showcase. Chattanooga put up 339 offensive yards and rushed significantly better than the Wildcats — outgaining Kentucky on the ground 171 yards to 102. The Wildcats won 28-23 but have plenty of questions to answer.

Even still, the Wildcats’ offense boasts two of the conference’s current leaders in rushing (RB Chris Rodriguez) and receiving (WR Wan’Dale Robinson), and they’re set to pose another challenge to South Carolina’s defense.

3 Kentucky players to watch

Wan’Dale Robinson, WR: Robinson is the SEC’s leading receiver through the first three weeks, with 337 yards on 18 catches with two touchdowns. A transfer from Nebraska, the 5-foot-11 wideout has eclipsed the 100-yard mark in three consecutive games with the Wildcats and could be a matchup problem for the Gamecocks’ secondary.

Chris Rodriguez, RB: The Wildcats also boast the conference’s top rusher in Rodriguez, who has accumulated 377 yards on 59 carries for four touchdowns this season. Rodriguez was especially productive in Kentucky’s SEC opening win over Missouri, where he shouldered much of the offensive workload and brought in three touchdowns and 206 yards on 27 carries.

J.J. Weaver, OLB: Kentucky’s sophomore linebacker is off to a strong start in 2021, totaling 4.5 tackles for loss through the first three contests, pushing opponents back 28 yards. The Wildcats’ formidable pass rusher has also played a part in 2.5 sacks for 22 lost yards and forced a fumble against Missouri.