The South Carolina Gamecocks and No. 17 Kentucky Wildcats are set to collide on the turf at Kroger Field. Kickoff for this key game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET and SEC Network will televise the action.
South Carolina Gamecocks vs. Kentucky Wildcats Betting Preview
South Carolina is the road underdog in this SEC matchup and is currently receiving 2 points. The Gamecocks are also receiving +100 moneyline odds while the Wildcats are -120. There should be some decent live betting opportunities for this game.
The opening line was initially set at 1, but has recently shifted.
The Gamecocks are 2-1 against the spread (ATS) and have gained 0.0 units so far. The team’s posted an O/U record of 2-1. The Wildcats have been a pleasant surprise for moneyline bettors this season, gaining 8.3 units. They’re 2-2 ATS and have an O/U record of 1-2.
The Gamecocks have gone 2-1 straight up (SU), including 1-1 SU against SEC opponents. The Wildcats are 4-0 SU overall and 2-0 SU in conference play.
The Gamecocks are coming off a resounding 37-14 victory over Vanderbilt last week. Jake Bentley completed 19 passes for 261 yards, along with a score and a pick. Rico Dowdle (112 rushing yards on 20 attempts, one TD) led the ground attack in the win. Deebo Samuel (seven receptions, 56 yards) and Shi Smith (five catches, 119 yards, one TD) handled the receiving duties.
The Kentucky Wildcats just earned a lopsided 28-7 win over Mississippi State. The defense held its territory in the victory, restricting the Bulldogs to only 145 passing yards and 56 yards on the ground. Osirus Mitchell was a bright spot in the loss for Mississippi State, accounting for 65 yards on six catches. For Kentucky, Terry Wilson completed eight-of-14 passes for 71 yards and one interception. Benny Snell (165 rushing yards on 25 attempts, four TDs) and the signal-caller Wilson (18 yards on 11 carries) handled the ground attack in the win as Lynn Bowden (three receptions, 15 yards) and C.J. Conrad (two catches, 22 yards) led the pass-catching corps.
South Carolina has run the ball on 48.8 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Kentucky has a rush percentage of 66.4 percent. The Gamecocks have rushed for 197 yards/game (including 164 per game versus Southeastern opponents) and have five touchdowns via handoffs this year. The Wildcats are putting up 269 rush yards per game (266 in conference) and have 13 total rushing TDs.
If the numbers so far this season can translate to this game, then it’s looking like the Wildcats should hold an edge in all aspects of the ground game. Their backfield has logged 6.2 yards per carry while their defense is allowing a YPC of 3.6 to opponents. The Gamecocks have registered 5.6 yards per carry while allowing 3.9 YPC to opponents.
The Gamecocks offense has tallied 279 yards per game in the air overall (272 per game versus conference opposition) and has eight passing TDs so far. The Wildcats have put up 158 pass yards per game (111.0 against SEC competition) and have five total pass scores.
Defensively, South Carolina has allowed opponents to rush for an average of 163 yards and pass for 169 yards per game. The Kentucky defense has allowed 173.5 yards per game to opposing passers and 106.0 yards per game on the ground. The Wildcats are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of only 3.73 to opponents, while the Gamecocks have given up a 5.06 ANY/A.
Offensively, Bentley is up to 511 passing yards on the year, and has connected on 72 percent of his 57 attempts with five passing scores and only one interception. He’s got a 9.42 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number is 5.60 over the last two games.
Rico Dowdle (217 rushing yards, two rush TDs, 31 receiving yards, one receiving touchdown on the year), Bryan Edwards (100 receiving yards, one receiving TD) and Shi Smith (180 receiving yards, one TD) have all played significant roles recently.
In the other huddle, Terry Wilson has completed 30-of-48 passes for 300 yards, two TDs and four INTs. Wilson’s ANY/A stands at a very poor 2.50 for the year and 3.56 over his past two outings.
We also expect the Kentucky offense to mix it up this Saturday. Benny Snell (465 rushing yards, six rush TDs this season), Lynn Bowden (111 receiving yards, one receiving TD) and Terry Wilson (161 rush yards, one rush TD, zero receiving yards) have combined for 436 total yards and six touchdowns the last two games.
These two programs faced off a year ago with the final result being a 23-13 victory for Kentucky.
Free NCAA Betting Tip: South Carolina Gamecocks vs. Kentucky Wildcats
SU Winner – Kentucky, ATS Winner – Kentucky
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Notes
Betting Notes
The Kentucky defense has created eight sacks on the year while South Carolina has seven.
Kentucky has lost three fumbles this season while South Carolina has lost two.
Each team has produced two pass plays of 40 or more yards. The Gamecocks have have made three pass plays of 30+ yards while the Wildcats have created two such plays.
The South Carolina defense has allowed one pass play of 40 or more yards, while Kentucky has given up zero such plays.
The South Carolina offense has created five rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while Kentucky has created 14 such runs.
Both defenses have allowed three rushing play of 20 or more yards. The Gamecocks have given up 19 running plays of 10+ yards while the Wildcats have given up 11 such plays.
Kentucky was getting 10 points in its last match and the Over/Under going into it was 56. The under cashed and Kentucky covered in the team’s 28-7 win over Mississippi State.
Over its last three contests, South Carolina is 2-1 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
South Carolina was getting 2 points in its previous game and the O/U going into it was 53. The under cashed and South Carolina covered in the 37-14 victory over Vanderbilt.
South Carolina has averaged 4.8 yards per carry over its last two outings.
Kentucky has averaged 5.3 yards per carry over its last two.
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