So much for the afterglow: South Carolina

After a game like that, it’s tough to get calmed down enough to write this article, but I’m going to do my best.

The offense came out stagnant again during the first quarter but managed to turn the guns on for part of the second quarter and all of the second half. The coaching staff made some nice adjustments at halftime, but you have to think that they shouldn’t have to come from behind every week.

Mike Hartline followed up the game of his life with a better performance. He had the type of numbers quarterbacks dream about and played a nearly flawless game outside of taking a couple of sacks.

The absence of Derrick Locke was noticeable as Donald Russell struggled to get past the line of scrimmage nearly every time he touched the ball. He had some tough runs, but the offensive line didn’t give him much to work with. He did make up for his lack of production on the ground by chipping in 70 yards receiving on the night though.

The guys that made this win possible are the Kentucky wide receivers. Chris Matthews looked like Terrell Owens all night and Randall Cobb kept drives alive by running and catching the ball. Larod King came up big in the redzone and added two touchdowns. If this group can play like they did on Saturday for four quarters, Kentucky can hang 50 on anyone.

The offensive line did a great job of giving Hartline plenty of time to make the throws he needed to despite having to battle a tough group of defensive linemen. The duo of right tackles Brad Durham and Billy Joe Murphy did not look good in pass protection and the entire line struggled to keep the South Carolina line out of the backfield. This will have to improve before Saturday’s game against a tough Georgia defense that shut out Vanderbilt yesterday.

Steve Brown apparently got the memo that his defense needed to bring more pressure and he made sure South Carolina quarterback Stephen Garcia was running for his life all night. The defense did give up a couple of big plays, but also was able to force the South Carolina offense into making some game changing mistakes.

The Kentucky defensive line did a great job of pressuring Garcia and forcing him into some bad throws. I’m not sure why Taylor Wyndham was caught covering backs twice, but he did a phenomenal job of stepping in for the injured DeQuin Evans and providing some production out of the position.

The Linebackers did a good job of stopping the run and pass in the second half and Danny Trevathan was terrorizing Garcia on blitzes all night.

The defensive backs made up for some awful tackling with a couple of big plays. Winston Guy picked off a pressured throw to swing momentum and Anthony Mosley not only recovered a fumble, but also picked of a pass tipped by Cartier Rice to seal the win.

There’s not much negative to say after a win like that, but the team will have to move on immediately as they prepare for a Georgia team that humiliated Vanderbilt on Saturday. If Kentucky can beat Georgia, a 9-3 or 8-4 record becomes a real possibility with the next toughest challenge being Mississippi State.

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