The Kentucky Wildcats open up SEC play when they visit South Carolina on Saturday. Kentucky upset the Gamecocks in Lexington last season, but is still looking for that elusive SEC road win. The Wildcats haven’t won a conference road game since 2009, going 0-20 SU and 5-15 ATS in that stretch.
ODDS
The visiting Wildcats are getting plenty of play betting the line down from the opening +9.5 to its current +7.5. Both teams still have question marks surrounding them, but Kentucky’s 20-game road losing streak in SEC play will likely keep the spread at a touchdown. The total opened at 58.5 and South Carolina will attempt to grind the game on the ground. The under has a lot of value in this one.
KEY MISMATCH
South Carolina Run Game against Kentucky Defense
The Gamecocks churned out 254 yards on the ground last week in their win over North Carolina and did it with a group of four backs that gained at least 42 yards. Third-stringer Shon Carson broke the game-winning 48-yard scoring run on his way to a team-high 75 yards on just four carries. South Carolina needed the ground production with quarterback Connor Mitch, making his first start, struggling in the passing game with just nine completions in 22 throws. Kentucky struggled to contain Louisiana-Lafayette last week, allowing the Ragin Cajuns to run for 247 yards. If the Wildcats are to earn their first conference road win since 2009, they’ll need to be good against the run.
KEY STAT
+3 – South Carolina used an opportunistic defense to escape with a season-opening win over North Carolina last week. The Gamecocks intercepted three passes, two coming in their own endzone, with the third taking place with 3:48 left in the game to seal the 17-13 win.
BETTING ANGLE
Simply put, the Gamecocks are not supposed to lose to Kentucky. That all changed last season and South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier wasn’t too happy about it. Kentucky got just its second win over the Gamecocks since the turn of the century with a 45-38 win in Lexington. South Carolina is flying under the radar this season, but Spurrier has a nice collection of talent and an improved defense under first-year co-coordinator Jon Hoke. South Carolina had better numbers across the stat board in last year’s game, except where it mattered. And it’s how the Gamecocks lost the game that stirred the ire of Spurrier. The Gamecocks turned the ball over three times and blew a 14-point fourth quarter lead. Kentucky’s game-winning score came on one of those picks with less than three minutes to play in the game. You know Spurrier won’t forget that loss and neither will any of his returning players.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
The Wildcats will need a more complete performance than they had against Louisiana-Lafayette last week to beat South Carolina. UK was badly outplayed in the second half and the defense was exposed by the Ragin Cajuns. It really was a tale of two halves with Kentucky building a 20-point lead early in the third quarter before a collapse nearly cost them. The Gamecocks put on a defensive show we hadn’t seen in some time from them to get by North Carolina. Now that the first-game jitters are out of the way, watch for Connor Mitch to be more productive in the passing game, especially with star receiver Pharoh Cooper waiting to get his hands on the ball.
South Carolina 30, Kentucky 23
BookMaker sent out the college football spread for this game at South Carolina -9.5 with a total of 58.5. Live wagering during commercials offers an adjusted moneyline, total and spread. Log in and start gambling during the game now!
Need to fund your account before the big game but don’t have your computer? No problem, BookMaker Sportsbook now offers a mobile betting cashier so you can deposit money directly from your smartphone. Don’t miss out on getting paid because you couldn’t bet, click here and deposit at BookMaker now! The contest between the Kentucky Wildcats and South Carolina Gamecocks will take place Saturday, September 12, 2015, at 7:30 p.m. ET at Williams-Brice Stadium. The matchup will be televised live on the SEC Network.
