When Kentucky travels to Williams-Brice Stadium, they’ll be facing a South Carolina team that thrives on chaos. The Gamecocks love to generate turnovers, swing momentum, and let their crowd do the rest. For the Wildcats, the formula for victory doesn’t have to be complicated — but it does demand execution. Here are three keys to leaving Columbia with a win:
1. Play Clean, Mistake-Free Football
This game has “turnover battle” written all over it. South Carolina sits near the bottom nationally in total offense (316.3 yards per game, #107) and rushing attack (just 65.3 yards per game, #130). That means they lean heavily on short fields and defensive disruption to score points. Kentucky, by contrast, plays a methodical brand of football. The Cats run the ball 61% of the time (17th nationally), grind clock, and force opponents to play their tempo.
But when you play slow and methodical, turnovers are deadly. A single miscue can erase entire drives and flip momentum. Kentucky has done well this season with just 0.7 giveaways per game (#25), but South Carolina’s opportunistic defense (4.55% interception rate allowed, #17) will test Cutter Boley’s patience. If the Cats keep the ball secure, their style of play becomes a weapon.
2. Protect Cutter Boley
This is where last year’s nightmare comes in. In Lexington, South Carolina’s defense terrorized Kentucky’s offensive line, racking up five sacks and completely stalling the Wildcat attack. That kind of performance can’t happen again.
Kentucky’s pass protection has improved, just a 3.75% sack rate allowed (#41 nationally), but Kentucky still completes under 50% of their passes so far (#134). If he’s constantly behind the chains, Kentucky won’t be able to lean on its strength: a top-25 rushing attack (214.7 yards per game). Pass protection doesn’t just keep Boley upright; it keeps the whole offense on schedule.
3. Pressure LaNorris Sellers — Relentlessly
Sellers is the kind of quarterback who can flip a game on a single play. He completes nearly 67% of his passes (#31) at an elite 9.3 yards per attempt (#14), and he can run. But his protection? Paper thin. South Carolina has allowed sacks on 11.96% of dropbacks (#127). That’s bottom-tier nationally.
Kentucky’s defense hasn’t piled up sacks (just a 4.46% rate, #91), but this is the week to change that. Pressure Sellers early, and you force him into hurried throws and limit his ability to find big-play targets like Nyck Harbor. Let him get comfortable, and Kentucky risks getting burned downfield.
The bottom line
Kentucky doesn’t need to reinvent the wheel here. If they protect the football, keep Boley clean, and turn South Carolina’s biggest weakness, pass protection, into a game-deciding factor, the Wildcats have a clear path to victory. It’s about discipline, toughness, and making the Gamecocks play from behind instead of in chaos.
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