#13 South Carolina Gamecocks vs. Kentucky Wildcats Game Day Links
By Wayne
Sep 14, 2013; Columbia, SC, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Steve Spurrier directs his team against the Vanderbilt Commodores in the second quarter at Williams-Brice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports
A bit of trivia for the Big Blue Nation, it seems as though the Stoops and Spurriers are good friends and the Oklahoma Sooners Head Coach, Bob Stoops can’t root for his little brother Mark Stoops against South Carolina. Apparently to Bob, blood really isn’t thicker than water which is putrid. Absolutely horrible.
"Bob Stoops won’t be rooting for his brother Saturday when South Carolina and Kentucky meet in Williams-Brice Stadium. That’s how much Steve Spurrier means to Oklahoma’s longtime football coach. Stoops’ younger brother Mark is in his first year at Kentucky and could get a program-catapulting win today against the No. 13 Gamecocks. Still, the man who hired Bob Stoops at Florida in 1996 means too much to him to pull against the Gamecocks. “I won’t root as much as anything,” Bob Stoops told The State this week. “Of course your brother, it’s really hard, but Coach (Spurrier) and Jerri (Spurrier) and their whole family I am really close with.” Spurrier hired Stoops away from Kansas State, where Stoops was co-defensive coordinator, the season after losing 62-24 to Nebraska in the Fiesta Bowl, and the Gators went 32-5 the next three seasons. In 1999, Stoops was hired by Oklahoma. He won a national title the next season and has been there since. “He’s an appreciative guy,” Spurrier said when asked why he and Stoops remain so close. “He’s appreciative that he got a chance to be a head coach at Oklahoma after three years as an assistant (at Florida).”"
And we can’t leave good old Columbia media out of the equation and their “keys to the game” don’t spell much success for the Wildcats.
"1. DR. FEELGOOD If ever there was a week for USC’s defense to get it together, it’s this one. Kentucky is last in the league in scoring offense, 12th in rushing offense and eighth in passing offense, with no clear idea of who will start at quarterback on Saturday. The Gamecocks have started to get their hands on some turnovers, but now is the chance to show they can be a lock-down unit. 2. STUD HOSS The Wildcats give up 200 yards on the ground per game. USC averages 224 yards rushing per game, with Mike Davis responsible for 127. This is a hint that there’s really no need to throw. 3. AND YOUR QUARTERBACK … Steve Spurrier said Connor Shaw will start this week, but Dylan Thompson will probably also play. Shaw’s recovery is incredible, considering what it looked like when he went down at UCF. But the way Davis is carving up defenses right now, with the Gamecocks’ undersung offensive line blowing open gaps, is there really a need to use Shaw? 4. MY BONE SPURS … Jadeveon Clowney has had some ailments over the first four weeks, some that won’t go away and some that are popping up just before the game. Assuming he isn’t hit by the Jersey Bounce during warm-ups, Clowney can give everybody a nice big glass of shut up by doing what he can do this week. Kentucky has given up 10 sacks, the most in the league. 5. FINISH IT There is no reason the Gamecocks shouldn’t put up a lot of points and roll to the finish, which is why some folks are nervous. Recent history, and recent history vs. Kentucky, are natural reasons to be nervous. Last year was a 38-17 win, but it was 17-7 Wildcats at halftime. In 2010, a USC team that had just whipped No. 1 Alabama lost to Kentucky after cruising to a halftime lead."