SB Nation - Bobby Wallace

South Carolina @ Kentucky: Game Preview

Truzenzuzex — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 11:45:13 -0000

The Palmetto State of South Carolina is one of my favorite places on earth. It has so many great things going on that it's hard to know where to begin -- great beaches, wonderful golf courses, beautiful country, warm weather, Southern grace. In fact, I like it so much that I see myself spending my later years there.

The University of South Carolina has always fancied itself a football school, but the reality of the situation is that most of the good football since the 1980's has been played southwest of Columbia at Clemson University. Of course, the two schools are bitter rivals, and it was partially this imbalance that Steve Spurrier was hired to correct. but in 3.5 years at USC, Spurrier has yet to contend for the SEC East championship or the SEC championship.

Be that as it may, the Gamecocks have owned Kentucky since 1999. Many of those years, South Carolina has simply been much better than the 'Cats owing to NCAA probation, but now the pendulum has swung and the two schools are very competitive talent-wise. In fact, no less than eight of Kentucky's players come from the Palmetto State, which produces many more good football players than the state of Kentucky. They include safety Matt Lentz and defensive end Ventrell Jenkins. South Carolina, on the other hand, boasts not one single player from the Bluegrass State.

Let's take a look at how this game unfolds:

Offensive line

The Kentucky offensive line has done a great job of protecting Mike Hartline, albeit against inferior competition. UK is leading the SEC in sacks allowed, with only two so far in five games. South Carolina, on the other hand, is last in the SEC in sacks allowed, averaging 3.6 per game for a total of 18.

Run blocking is harder to figure, but Kentucky and USC are 9th and 10th in the league, respectively, so we can safely say that neither team is doing a great job getting yards for its backs. Both teams have a fairly young offensive line, so these kinds of struggles should not be surprising.

Advantage: Kentucky

Defensive line

Kentucky's defensive line is second in the league with 13 sacks, while South Carolina is 7th with 10. South Carolina has 20 hurries, though, compared with UK's 5. Both lines are in the lower half of the league in run defense, although both are allowing very respectable numbers at around 115 yards per game. South Carolina has played much tougher competition, though, so I think we would have to conclude that they are somewhat better against the run than the Wildcats.

Advantage: Even

Offensive skill positions

South Carolina has always had very solid skill position players, and this year is no different. Mike Davis is a solid, bruising tailback who gets most of the carries for the Gamecocks, averaging 4.5 yards in 73 carries. Brian Maddox, Bobby Wallace and Taylor Rank are all 200+ lb. running backs and solid athletes. On the outside, tight end Jared Cook leads the Gamecocks in receiving and averages almost 15 yards/catch. Moe Brown is their leading wide receiver who has just one fewer reception and almost the same yards/catch average as Cook.

Kentucky, of course, has some strong running backs of its own in Derrick Locke, Moncell Allen, Tony Dixon and Alfonso Smith. Dickie Lyons Jr. leads the way in receiving, and Maurice Grinter has been making some noise lately catching the ball from the tight end spot. Randall Cobb is also likely to return from injury at receiver, and he may be a difference maker in this game.

Advantage: Even

Quarterbacks

Chris Smelley is the man for the Gamecocks right now, and despite some inconsistent performances, he had one of his best games against Ole Miss last week. Smelley is only a sophomore, but he started several games last season and has much more experience than Mike Hartline. The big question is, can the USC line keep the strong Kentucky defensive front out of Smelley's face today?

Advantage: Slight South Carolina

Linebackers

Both South Carolina and Kentucky have outstanding linebackers. South Carolina is second in the league in total defense, and their linebackers are a big reason why. Wilcat fans will not forget the performance Eric Norwood put on against UK last season, and he is back better than ever, and leads the team in tackles for loss. Jasper Brinkley is a solid junior linebacker, and the Gamecocks have good depth at the position.

Kentucky, though, has dynamic linebacker Micah Johnson returning for this game. Although it is doubtful he will be at 100%, even a 90% Micah Johnson is a weapon. Braxton Kelley has also been terrific, and both Johnson and Kelley are averaging over 5 tackles per game.

Advantage: Marginal Kentucky

Defensive backfield

South Carolina has been simply terrific against the pass, leading the SEC in that category. Strong safety Emanuel Cook has been a beast, averaging eight tackles/game and leading South Carolina in the category. Captain Munnerlyn is a very capable cover corner, albeit sometimes mercurial, and Carlos Thomas and Stoney Woodson lead the Gamecocks in picks with two apiece.

Kentucky is right behind South Carolina in pass defense. Trevard Lindley is truly a lock-down cornerback, and Marcus McClinton, David Jones and the rest of the DB crew have been having a great year. Kentucky also has a +5 turnover margin to South Carolina's -5, and that could be a real factor in today's game

Advantage: Even

Special teams

Kentucky is a terrific punting and kicking team, one of the very best in the SEC. Tim Masthay is a weapon, and has been greatly responsible for the 4-1 mark that UK now sports. With the exception of field goal kicking, Kentucky has an advantage over almost every team in the SEC in special teams. South Carolina is no different

Advantage: Kentucky

Intangibles

After the debacle of last year in Columbia where the Wildcats fumbled away any chance of a victory, and considering the gaudy records Spurrier and the Gamecocks have against Kentucky, UK will be very, very up for this game. Kentucky fans know that this is one of the winnable games we need to have a shot at a third straight bowl, and Commonwealth Stadium will be rocking today.

Meanwhile, the Gamecocks are coming off a big road win, and for whatever reason, seem to have a lot of confidence in their ability to win this game. That could work against them this time.

Advantage: Strong Kentucky

This is a very big game for the Wildcats. Win this one, and they are one victory away from bowl eligibility and largely control their own destiny in the SEC East. Amazingly enough, not one of the traditional powers can make that claim, so this is truly a historic opportunity for Rich Brooks & Co.

But historically, especially recently, the Wildcats' futility against the Ol' Ball Coach knows no bounds, and like the long Florida and Tennessee winning streaks, it is a source of great consternation in the Big Blue Nation. South Carolina will be ready for this game, and their defense is truly powerful -- maybe even more powerful than UK's, which is something UK has not had to face a lot of this year.

Perhaps being at home and getting some of our players back off injury and the joy of Big Blue Madness will be the antedote for all this dominance by USC and the Visor. If so, Kentucky will be well on its way to a surprisingly good season, and finally begin to earn respect in the SEC.

Trends point to a defensive struggle in this game, but I am picking the Wildcats to break out. 21-10, UK.

FIVE POINTS: First Impressions -- South Carolina 26, UAB 13

cocknfire — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 04:51:29 -0000

1. Not good, not as bad as it looked. Watching college football on a laptop monitor with a more "important" game (Alabama at Georgia) on a big-screen TV in the background can do funny things to your perception of a game. (It can also make you thankful for the technology that allows one to watch UAB vs. South Carolina at an Alabama-Georgia viewing party.) My initial thought about the game -- that it was a thoroughly mediocre effort -- was true to an extent. Even an offense as catatonic as the Gamecocks' should be able to pick up more than 353 yards against UAB's defense.

On the other hand, the South Carolina defense largely stifled an offense that might be as good as the one that took the field whenever the Gamecocks defense was done. UAB picked up just 207 yards and QB Joe Webb was largely contained (140 yards passing, 22 yards rushing). The only touchdown came as the final seconds ticked away.

The margin was close in part because the Gamecocks decided to run the ball. And run the ball. And run the ball. In fact, the play calling was heavily tilted to ground game: 45 rushes, 33 pass attempts. Part of this was the presence of Stephen Garcia, who rushed 18 times. South Carolina ended the game with a nearly 10-minute edge in time of possession and were far better on third down than UAB. Again, that's not a great measuring stick, but it's something.

2. Stephen Garcia did well. I know I'm parting with Gamecock Man here, but I thought THE SAVIOR OF THE PROGRAM performed pretty well both on the ground and through the air. He was unquestionably better than Chris Smelley or Tommy Beecher -- again, "compared to ... " -- and the throws I saw tended to be far more accurate than what we've grown accustomed to seeing from the signal-callers up until now.

vs UAB / 9.27.08	Passing					Rushing
	Comp	Att	Pct	Yds	TD	Rush	Yds	Avg	TD
Stephen Garcia	13	20	65.0	131	1	18	86	4.8	1

His rushing average was better than any other Gamecock save Bobby Wallace, who might have made a case for more starting time by running six times for 51 yards. And, among the three quarterbacks, he won the passer rating battle with a 126.52, compared to 52.18 for Smelley and 92.00 for Beecher, despite facing the Blazers when whatever defense they have was likely at its strongest.

Plus, he can fly!!!

Give him time to learn the offense and get adjusted to the SEC, and Garcia could be a pretty good quarterback, though it remains to be seen if he can become everything his supporters expect him to be. Does he give us the best chance to win against Ole Miss? Probably; neither Smelley nor Beecher have shown us nothing that would lead me to believe they do.

3. Missing McKinley. There is something to be said for spreading the ball around, and the Gamecocks certainly did that in the passing game. Nine players caught the 18 completed passes, and no one had more than three.

But there are downside to that approach, too. There was no "go-to" receiver, and it's hard for the quarterback to get into a rhythm when there's not one person he can depend on. Notable: Jason Barnes with 3 catches, 46 yards.

Perhaps the biggest place where the team is missing Kenny McKinley is in the lack of a vertical game. The longest pass Saturday was a 23-yarder. It was one of two passes that went for more than 20 yards. This team needs McKinley back -- and quickly -- unless this is a lost season and he wants to redshirt and come back next year. (Unlikely, I know.)

And, after writing that, I look at GoGamecocks and see that I'm not the only one thinking that way.

Spurrier said he might approach All-SEC receiver Kenny McKinley about the possibility of a medical redshirt if McKinley’s right hamstring continues to bother him. McKinley, a senior who is in range of all of USC’s major receiving records, has missed the past three games and is doubtful for Ole Miss, according to Spurrier.

This would actually be in everyone's interest: McKinley's value will go down in the draft the longer he can't play -- no one wants to put a lot of guaranteed money into someone who's been hurt for much of the season prior to the draft. And, of course, it would give the Gamecocks one more season of McKinley, improving the depth of next year's team tremendously.

4. Succop's night. If there was one Gamecock who answered the call Saturday night, it was Ryan Succop. He hit a career-high four FGs and had 14 total points. Had it not been for Succop, the Gamecocks' margin could have been as low as 14-13, truly pathetic, instead of the uninspiring two-score edge.

Don't forget Spencer Lanning. He had a pretty good night as well, averaging 44.0 yards on his two punts. As for other special teams performers: Chris Culliver did an average to above-average job on kick returns, taking four back for 24.5 yards per, and Captain Munnerlyn was nothing special with punt returns, averaging 13.3 yards.

5. Finishing. Yes, this is to an extent an ESPN, coach-speak phrase, but it contains a kernel of truth. And it also points to a problem that could become something worse as the season advances. The Gamecocks seem to have trouble completing drives and putting away opponents.

It's not that UAB was ever truly close after South Carolina took a 10-3 lead with 44 seconds left in the fourth quarter; they weren't. But after being up by 14 at the half, South Carolina slowed down and scored just six more points in the second half and finished the game with a margin of 13.

That was in part because of two drives that ended up inside the Blazers 10 -- and ended up with field goals. Two more second-half possessions that found their way into UAB territory ended in interceptions. That's fine against UAB, but it will get you killed in the SEC.

Not that anyone's looking for a trip to Atlanta this year -- at least, I hope not -- but the only remaining nonconference game this year is the showdown with the Team from the Upstate. A successful year, however one defines it (unless you consider a four-win season a success) will involve beating some SEC teams. If the Gamecocks can't finish, the season is finished.

GRADE: C
The Garcia experiment starts on the right foot, and the Gamecocks avoid disaster. The defense remains stout; even if the Blazers defense is horrid, the offense is competent, and UAB was largely unable to move the ball. But the South Carolina offense has to, has to, has to do better soon. Otherwise, even dreaming of Shreveport might be optimistic.

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