Mark Stoops reveals his 3-part formula to win with an inexperienced QB

With the SEC annual opponents leaked, the Cats and the Cocks will be seeing a lot of each other in the next 4 years. But focus turns to Saturday night in Williams-Brice. Winning on the road in the Southeastern Conference is one of the toughest tasks in sports. Doing it with a redshirt freshman making his first conference start is even harder. As Kentucky prepares to face a desperate South Carolina team, head coach Mark Stoops has made his game plan abundantly clear. It's a three-part formula built on discipline, physicality, and ball control.

Kentucky football's 3 step plan to knock off the Gamecocks

1. Play a clean game

Stoops' first and most important directive is to protect the football and eliminate mistakes. "We have to play clean," he stated. "We've done a very good job this year of protecting the football." So far, Kentucky has only one lost fumble and one interception on the season. While Boley had a couple of near-interceptions against Eastern Michigan, avoiding those critical turnovers will be the top priority in a hostile environment.

2. Lean on the running game

When in doubt, Stoops defaults to his core philosophy. "We have to have some balance... run game it always starts there with us," he reiterated. This strategy makes perfect sense against a South Carolina defense that has been surprisingly vulnerable on the ground. The Gamecocks rank 96th nationally in rushing yards allowed per game (182.7) and have struggled to control the line of scrimmage. Leaning on Seth McGowan and the run game is Kentucky's clearest path to taking pressure off Boley.

3. Neutralize the pass rush

The memory of last year's game, where South Carolina's defensive line wrecked the game with five sacks, looms large. Kentucky's offensive line must be prepared to handle star edge rusher Dylan Stewart and a stout defensive front. "You always have to be very aware of where he's at and have a plan," Stoops said. The success of the run game will be crucial in slowing down that pass rush, but ultimately, the offensive line will have to win its one-on-one battles to give Boley a chance.

Drew Holbrook is an avid Kentucky fan who has been covering the Cats for over 10 years. In his free time he enjoyes downtime with his family and Premier League soccer.You can find him on X here.Micah 7:7. #UptheAlbion