The Kentucky Wildcats head to Columbia, South Carolina, this Saturday night to battle the Gamecocks. Before the season started, this game was likely seen by many Wildcats fans as a sure loss. Now, there’s a chance Kentucky can go and win this game.
South Carolina started the season at No. 11. Since then, they’ve lost two straight SEC games. They should come out with a sense of urgency, knowing that if they lose, they would be 0-3 in the SEC after all those expectations coming into this season.
Let’s
take a look at the South Carolina Gamecocks and the keys to Saturday’s game in Columbia.
Quarterback: No. 16: Lanorris Sellers — 6-3, 240 lbs. R-So. Florence, S.C.
Sellers is a dynamic quarterback who burst onto the scene in 2024 as the SEC Freshman of the Year. He was also voted as the National Freshman Offensive Player of the Year and a Freshman All-American by the FWAA.
In 2024, Sellers passed for 2,534 yards and rushed for 674 yards. He had two 300-yard passing games and two 100-yard rushing games.
He has battled an injury this season to throw for 733 yards through four games, along with four touchdowns and an interception. He’s only rushed for 17 yards on 34 carries this season, but his injury likely has something to do with that.
Four Players to Watch on South Carolina
1. No. 19: Wide Receiver, Vandrevius Jacobs — 6-0, 182 lbs. R-So.
Jacobs is coming off a seven-reception, 128-yard, touchdown performance at Missouri last week. He has 13 receptions for 215 yards and two touchdowns this season, and that’s with having zero catches in the season-opener against Virginia Tech.
2. No. 8: Wide Receiver, Nyck Harbor — 6-5, 235 lbs. Jr. Washington, D.C.
A big-bodied wide receiver, Harbor is the only player to be ranked No. 1 on Bruce Feldman’s annual “Freaks List” two years in a row. Harbor was invited to the 2024 USA Track & Field Olympic trials, so let that tell you what a remarkable athlete he is.
So far this season, Harbor has 10 receptions for 210 yards and a touchdown. His 21 yards per reception average is what makes him a scary and freakish athlete to defend. Harbor had 99 receiving yards against Virginia Tech in Week 1, meaning he’s only had 111 in three games since. Look for Sellers to target him early and often in this game.
3. No. 4: Defensive Back, Vicari Swain — 6-1, 190 lbs. R-So. Carrollton, Ga.
Swain is on this list because of his punt-returning prowess. He’s already returned three punts for a touchdown on just seven returns this season. With 211 punt return yards, Swain is averaging 30.1 yards per return. That’s insane. Three touchdowns on seven punt returns means he has nearly a 50-50 chance to run a punt back to the house. That’s Devin Hester vibes. Kentucky’s special teams must have a plan for him.
4. No. 6: Edge Rusher, Dylan Stewart — 6-5, 24 lbs. So. Washington D.C.
Stewart is becoming one of the best edge rushers in the SEC and the country. Coming off a Freshman season where he had 6.5 sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss, Stewart was a unanimous Freshman All-American and finalist for the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year.
He has 4.5 tackles for loss and two sacks so far this season, while also adding a pass break-up and four quarterback hits.
Head Coach: Shane Beamer (5th Season, 31-24) — 48 years old
Beamer has put South Carolina back on the map through his first four seasons in Columbia during his second stint. He was with the Gamecocks from 2007 to 2010 on their defensive and special teams staffs.
In 2024, Beamer was named the USA Today Sports Network SEC Coach of the Year and the AP SEC Coach of the Year, while also being recognized as the FWAA First-Year Coach of the Year in 2021.
In addition to South Carolina, Beamer has also coached at Oklahoma, Georgia, his alma mater, Virginia Tech, Mississippi State, Tennessee, and Georgia Tech. It was at Georgia Tech where he began his coaching career as a graduate assistant.
Shane is the son of legendary Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer, for whom Shane played from 1995 to 1999, including as a long snapper on Virginia Tech’s 1999 team that played in the BCS National Championship.
Offensive Coordinator: Mike Shula (1st Season) — 60 years old
Shula joined the Gamecocks coaching staff as a senior offensive assistant in 2024, and Beamer promoted him to offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach this season.
This is Shula’s first college coaching staff since being Alabama’s head coach from 2003 to 2006. Most of his coaching career has been spent in the NFL, where he served as the Carolina Panthers’ offensive coordinator from 2013 to 2017. Shula has also served as an offensive coordinator for the New York Giants and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
As a player, Shula played for Alabama and went 24-11-1 as a starting quarterback. He was named First-Team All-SEC in 1985 and was selected in the 12th round of the 1987 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Coaching runs through the Shula family. Mike is the son of the NFL’s all-time winningest head coach, Don Shula, and he’s also the brother of Cincinnati Bengals head coach Dave Shula and the uncle of Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula.
Defensive Coordinator: Clayton White (5th Season) — 47 years old
South Carolina has forced 88 turnovers through White’s first four seasons on the Gamecocks coaching staff, which leads the SEC. The Gamecocks had a top 25 defense in nearly every statistical category in 2024, led by Bronko Nagurski Award winner Kyle Kennard and All-American Nick Emmanwori.
White came to Columbia after four seasons as Western Kentucky’s defensive coordinator, and he’s also had coaching stints at NC State, UConn, Stanford, and Western Michigan.
As a player at NC State, White holds the career record with 33 tackles for loss and the single-season record with 16 tackles for loss and 23 tackles in a single game. He played three years in the NFL with the New York Giants and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Keys to the Game
1. Stop the run
Even though Sellers hasn’t been the running threat this season that he was in 2024, it’s still vital for the Wildcats to make him beat them with his arm. South Carolina may only be averaging 90.3 rushing yards per game, but it has to remain that way for the Wildcats to have success on Saturday.
2. Win the turnover battle
Going on the road and playing in a raucous environment, taking care of the ball, and forcing turnovers will be vital. The Gamecocks will look to create turnovers, but they are also susceptible to turning the ball over themselves. Kentucky needs to take advantage.
3. Throw the first punch… and then keep the foot on the gas.
Look at what Vanderbilt did two weeks ago in Columbia. They punched the Gamecocks in the mouth early, and they never let up in a 31-7 win. That’s what Kentucky needs to do. They threw the first punch at Ole Miss, but they let the Rebels back in the game after that. Kentucky is capable of winning this game, but they will need to be aggressive for the entire 60 minutes to do so.
4. Special teams
Know where Vicari Swain is at all times on punt returns. He can change the whole game, just as he did against Virginia Tech. The last thing Kentucky needs is a raucous Williams-Brice Stadium crowd after a punt return, especially in a night game.
Score Prediction: Gamecocks 31, Wildcats 24
This game should be close. I wouldn’t be shocked if the Wildcats won. South Carolina, though, is going to play desperately on Saturday; at the very least, they should. Williams-Brice Stadium is going to be rocking, and this is only Cutter Boley’s second start at quarterback. Facing a swarming defense in the Gamecocks, a turnover could be what decides this game.
