Is this the moment of truth in Columbia, S.C., on Saturday?
Maybe it is.
After dropping its first two SEC games to Mississippi State and Alabama, South Carolina hosts No. 24 Kentucky in a game that has more than just winning and losing at stake. It could also go a long way in deciding head coach Shane Beamer’s job status there.
The Gamecocks’ head coach is under a lot of scrutiny in Columbia for the way his football team has looked, not just this season, but going back to last year too. Carolina has lost seven straight SEC games and has not defeated a Power Four opponent since it beat the Wildcats in Columbia last year.
It’s funny, though, because the very same people that are calling for Beamer’s job following the Gamecocks 49-18 loss at Alabama last week, he is now pleading to them for help to beat Kentucky at Williams-Brice Stadium.
“It’s one of the greatest venues in the SEC, but we certainly need to improve them, right? And be that on Saturday. And I get it,” Beamer said. “There’s going to be people in that stadium that are pissed at me and don’t like me. And I don’t like a lot of things about the job that I’ve done right now either.
“But what we need on Saturday is for 80,000 strong to come together for three hours and help our football team play their butts off, because we need that energy in that stadium.”
The Gamecocks (2-2, 0-2 SEC) had that energy a few weeks back, as they built a 16-0 lead at home against Mississippi State. However, they could not hold the lead, as the Bulldogs stormed back and scored 41 of the next 48 points.
Though USC rallied and made the score look better than it actually was, the damage was done. Then the Gamecocks went and looked non-competitive to a Crimson Tide team they had on the ropes and beaten the previous two seasons.
“I would say I’m frustrated too because I see a lot of the issues on Saturday that we need to get corrected, and we need to coach better and perform better,” Beamer said.
The good news for Carolina is Kentucky (3-1, 1-1) comes to town, who South Carolina is 4-1 against under Beamer. The Gamecocks have won four straight games against Kentucky and five of the last seven in the series.
The bad news is this is not the same ole Wildcats.
Will Stein, who served as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Oregon prior to coming to Lexington, is already making waves at head coach.
His Wildcats went to College Station, Texas a few weeks back and knocked off then No. 9 Texas A&M, before routing South Alabama last week. On yeah, they also had No. 8 Alabama down at halftime before things fell apart in the fourth quarter.
So, Saturday afternoon in Columbia is not going to be an easy out for Beamer and the Gamecocks, but for his job’s sake, they must find a way to beat the Wildcats.
No. 24 Kentucky (3-1, 1-1 SEC) at South Carolina (2-2, 0-2 SEC)
- Kickoff: Saturday, 4:15 p.m.
- Location: Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, S.C.
- TV: SEC Network
- Spread: South Carolina -2.5
- Total: 54.5 points
- Series: Gamecocks lead 22-14-1
CAROLINA VS. KENTUCKY
This is the 38th meeting between the Gamecocks and the Wildcats in a series that dates back to 1937. Carolina leads the all-time series 22-14-1, including an 11-6-1 advantage in Columbia and an 11-8 mark in Lexington. The teams played just three times (1937, 1978 and 1981) before Carolina joined the SEC in 1992. Since then, they have met every year. Since joining the SEC, the Gamecocks own a 21-13 record against Kentucky, including wins in 18 of the 26 meetings in this century.
A SERIES OF RUNS
South Carolina won 10-straight games over Kentucky from 2000-09, and 13-of-14 from 2000-13. The Wildcats countered with five straight wins from 2014-18 and six of seven from 2014-21. The Gamecocks have rebounded with wins in each of the last four meetings.
A CASE FOR DEFENSE
In the last 10 meetings between the two teams, the losing team has not tallied more than 18 points, scoring 10, 13, 10, 7, 18, 10, 14, 14, 14 6 and 13 points from 2016-25, respectively.
ABOUT KENTUCKY
Kentucky is coming off a 45-21 win over South Alabama this past Saturday as C.J. Baxter had 149 rushing yards on 16 carries with a touchdown, one of three Wildcats with over 100 rushing yards. The Wildcats come into the game with a 1-1 SEC record, defeating Texas A&M, 31-21, on Sept. 19 while falling at home to Alabama, 45-17, on Sept. 12. Jason Patterson leads Kentucky with 326 rushing yards while quarterback Kenny Minchey has 876 passing yards and eight touchdowns on the year. Kenny Darby has a team-best 226 receiving yards with two touchdowns. On defense, Jordan Castell has 36 tackles and Mi’Quese Humphrey-Grace has 2.5 sacks and three tackles for loss.