Turnovers have a way of deciding games, and Kentucky’s trip to South Carolina on Saturday looks like one of those nights where the takeaway battle could shape everything.
The numbers lean heavily toward Kentucky right now. The Wildcats have forced eight turnovers this season, good for No. 5 in the SEC and No. 12 nationally.
South Carolina, meanwhile, has just two takeaways, tying for last in the SEC and sitting second-to-last among power conference teams. The Gamecocks have also given it away six times, leaving them at minus-4 in turnover margin.
Kentucky is sitting at plus-3.
That’s not the usual South Carolina profile. Over the last five seasons, the Gamecocks forced 110 turnovers, which ranked first in the SEC and sixth nationally over that span.
They were especially disruptive last year, when they forced 22. Four of those came in the 35-13 win over Kentucky, and two went all the way back for touchdowns.
One of those scores came in the second quarter when Dylan Stewart sacked Cutter Boley and knocked the ball loose. Jatius Greer picked it up and returned it 40 yards for a touchdown. Two plays later, Boley threw a pass that bounced off Kendrick Law’s hands and into Gerald Kilgore’s, and Kilgore took that one 45 yards for another score.
South Carolina defensive coordinator Clayton White said Tuesday that the lack of takeaways has been a source of frustration, especially with a pivotal game ahead for Shane Beamer’s future.
“The toughest part is that you work on it,” White said on Tuesday. “We have been working on it a ton and do a great job prepping for it.
Probably had a lot of punch outs yesterday [in practice], probably more than we ever had. So that’s been the frustrating part.”
White said the emphasis hasn’t changed.
“When you’re in the game, you’re preaching, ‘Get the ball out, punch it out,'” White added. “We’ve got to be in the right spot more.
We’ve got to get around the football. In order to get turnovers, we’ve got to get around the football.
We only have two [takeaways]; we’ve had opportunities in a couple of games but got to capitalize. That’s been the frustrating part, but you can’t really depend on things like that to happen.
We just got to continue to work at it.”
Kentucky’s defense has made a habit of creating chaos, too. Jay Bateman’s group has been excellent at forcing mistakes, even in the loss to Alabama. The Wildcats came away with three takeaways in that game: Mi’Quise Humphrey-Grace’s pick-six on Alabama’s opening possession, Humphrey-Grace’s forced fumble on the next drive, and Jordan Castell’s interception at the end of the first half.
The problem for Kentucky was that the Wildcats gave the ball away three times themselves in that game. They were also loose with the football against South Alabama, when Kenny Minchey and Brock Coffman both fumbled.
The recent history between these teams points in the same direction. Shane Beamer is 4-1 against Kentucky, and in those five games, Kentucky has turned it over 14 times while South Carolina has only three.
If the Wildcats want to end that losing streak in Columbia, they’ll need to flip that script.
In Other News...
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Still, Popes focus goes beyond just making shots. He has also pointed to cutting as a major part of the offense, which suggests Kentucky wants to create easier looks and keep defenses moving even on nights when the ball may not be flying in from deep. The shot-making will draw the headlines, but the way the Wildcats combine that shooting with disciplined movement could end up telling the bigger story of how effective this offense really becomes. [Read more 🡒]
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There was at least one small positive on the report, with Tavion Gadson not listed, a sign he may be available. South Carolina, meanwhile, is dealing with its own personnel questions, as Stewart is suspended and Brownlow-Dindy remains uncertain after sitting out the previous game, so both sides head into the matchup without a full picture of who will actually be on the field when kickoff arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Kentuckys South Carolina Prep Suddenly Has A Receiver Concern
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The bigger concern on offense, though, is the receiver group, where the Wildcats now have to account for a potential absence that could affect how they plan the passing game. With a busy Kentucky sports weekend ahead and basketball-related events also on the calendar, the football staff will keep its focus on cleaning up the picture before kickoff and waiting for the next update on who will be available. [Read more 🡒]