It’s probably more glaring for South Carolina regarding what the Gamecocks need to work on in advance of their next game than it is for Kentucky.
The Southeastern Conference schedule is bringing these teams together for their league opener Saturday in Lexington, Ky.
Kentucky coach Mark Stoops said contests with the Gamecocks are “always a good game, always evenly matched.”
Last week, Kentucky handled Southern Mississippi in a 31-0 season-opening victory. South Carolina produced a 23-19 survival against visiting Old Dominion to begin its slate.
The benefit for the Gamecocks might be that they didn’t showcase much of their good stuff.
“I think we got a really good football team,” South Carolina coach Shane Beamer said, though he didn’t sound fully convinced. “Awful performance. We made enough mistakes for an entire season.”
Still, South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers has the Wildcats’ attention even after an uneven outing in the Old Dominion game.
“Every game, every rep, he’ll improve,” Stoops said. “A pretty good physical guy with a lot of attributes. He can run, he can throw, he seems like a very mature young man.”
Kentucky’s defense might be primed for an impactful season. More will be known after an SEC game.
“I’m not ready to anoint them yet,” Stoops said. “I don’t want any of that. There’s things that we need to improve on a great deal.”
Brock Vandagriff had a sturdy outing in his first game as Kentucky’s starting quarterback. He’s bound to encounter some different challenges from South Carolina’s active defensive front. Gamecocks teammates Kyle Kennard and Dylan Steward shared SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week honors.
“We’re certainly not going to be as comfortable this week with South Carolina’s defensive front and the way they can pressure the quarterback, so we got to make sure we have a very good plan for that,” Stoops said.
Beamer said he’s emphasizing the opportunity for rapid improvements for a team lacking experience in some areas.
“We’re going to have to go through some growing pains,” Beamer said. “I expect us to be much better … up in Lexington.”
Stoops said he liked the atmosphere in the home stadium for the season opener and figures that could be heightened in Week 2.
“Call on that home crowd to once again show up like they did last week and make a difference,” he said.
Kentucky won six of seven from South Carolina from 2014-21 before the Gamecocks won the last two meetings, including 17-14 at home last year. South Carolina leads the all-time series 20-14-1, including 10-6-1 in Columbia and 10-8 in Lexington.
