Will Levis

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- One of the most under-appreciated things that Mark Stoops has achieved with the Kentucky football program is keeping South Carolina, Missouri and Vanderbilt buried in the rear-view mirror.

Over the last five seasons, Kentucky has gone 13-2 against the Gamecocks, Tigers and Commodores, keeping those three programs near the bottom of the Southeastern Conference East Division.

The Wildcats have already dispatched Florida in the only division game they have played in 2022. They will play the first of their four SEC home games when Shane Beamer brings South Carolina to town Saturday.

TIME: Saturday, 7:30 p.m.; Kroger Field, Lexington.

WHERE TO WATCH/LISTEN: TV — SEC Network (Tom Hart, play by play; Jordan Rodgers, analyst; Cole Cubelic, sidelines); RADIO — UK Radio Network (Tom Leach, play by play; Jeff Piecoro, analyst; Dick Gabriel, sidelines).

THE LINE: Kentucky favored by 10 1/2 points; Over/under of total points is 49. Numbers courtesy of DraftKings at 11 a.m. Wednesday.

THE LAST TIME: The Wildcats won in Columbia, 16-10, last season. Chris Rodriguez ran for 144 yards and the Wildcats survived three turnovers on three field goals by Matt Ruffolo.

THE SERIES: It's been all Kentucky under Stoops. The Wildcats have won the last two as well as seven of the last eight. The Gamecocks have not won in Lexington since 2012.

THE RECORDS: South Carolina is 3-2 overall but 0-2 in Southeastern Conference games, losing to Arkansas by 14 and Georgia by 41. The Gamecocks' three victories were against Georgia State (No. 113 in the Sagarin computer power rankings); Charlotte (No. 172) and South Carolina State (No. 208). Kentucky (4-1, 1-1) had its 4-game winning streak ended at Ole Miss last Saturday.

SOCIAL MEDIA:

PLAYER TO WATCH SOUTH CAROLINA: Halfback MarShawn Lloyd has six rushing touchdowns, which is tied with Quinshon Judkins of Ole Miss for tops in the SEC. Lloyd has 249 yards rushing in the last two games.

PLAYER TO WATCH KENTUCKY: Freshman receiver Barion Brown earned SEC Freshman of the Weeks honors for his play at Ole Miss. Brown has six catches for 183 yards in UK's last two games. Brown leads the SEC in kickoff return yardage per game at 57.2.

SIDELINE STORYLINES: The Gamecocks have lost their last eight SEC road games. They have not won away from Columbia in the SEC since defeating Vanderbilt 41-7 in Week 3 of the 2020 season. Now in year two, Shane Beamer's SEC record is 3-7 — with home victories against Vanderbilt, Florida and Auburn. South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler was considered a top contender for the Heisman Trophy prior to last season at Oklahoma but he lost the job by mid-year and transferred to South Carolina because of his relationship with Beamer, a former OU assistant. Rattler ranks sixth in the SEC in passing yards per game (224) but has thrown seven interceptions with only four touchdown passes. This is Kentucky's first of four SEC home games. The Wildcats also get Mississippi State, Vanderbilt and Georgia in Lexington. Kentucky has limited its last nine opponents to 23 points or less, leading to eight victories. If the Wildcats win, they will improve to 5-1, which would be their fifth start of 5-1 or better under Stoops.

THE QUOTE: South Carolina coach Shane Beamer is a fan of the program that Stoops has built in Lexington:

"They've got a fantastic quarterback (Will Levis), and they've got elite receivers on the outside. So, to me, they're a challenge because they don't beat themselves. They're physical, and just watching that game (Saturday) on TV and watching tape of them today, I mean, it's size. It's physicality. They play really hard, and you know if you're gonna beat Kentucky, you gotta go beat them and you've got to play really, really physical and you've got to play really, really hard."

THE PICK: This has the feel of a letdown game for the Wildcats but there is little evidence the Gamecocks have the ability to take advantage. Kentucky 31, South Carolina 17.

Copyright 2022 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.