The Kentucky Wildcats are set to host the South Carolina Gamecocks in one of the more important week two SEC games. The question is who will cover in this football game? On the morning of gameday, the line currently sits at 8.5 in favor of the Wildcats. When it comes to who will cover this line, it comes down to how the Kentucky Wildcats offense plays.
Kentucky's defense is elite and should be able to slow LaNorris Sellers and a South Carolina offense that likes to run the ball. If Brock Vandagriff and the Kentucky offense move the ball like they did against Southern Miss, they will win this football game at home by two touchdowns. If South Carolina has a good day on defense, this will turn into a rock fight, and the Gamecocks will cover.
The Kentucky Wildcats will cover the -8.5-point line at home on Saturday as this team knows that a win will likely lead to College GameDay coming to Lexington for the Wildcat's matchup with #1 Georgia.
Let's take a look at how to watch the Kentucky Wildcats take on the South Carolina Gamecocks.
Kickoff between the Kentucky Wildcats and South Carolina Gamecocks will take place at 3:30 pm ET on Saturday, and this football game can be watched on ABC.
The Kentucky Wildcats have College GameDay on their mind, and the only thing in the way is the Gamecocks. With this in mind, Mark Stoops's team covers the line as the Kentucky offense stays hot, beating South Carolina 28-17.
Kentucky Wildcats vs. South Carolina Gamecocks Preview
The South Carolina Gamecocks (1-0) visit the Kentucky Wildcats (1-0) in a Week 2 Southeastern Conference college football showdown. This game kicks off at 12:30 p.m. PT/3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, September 7 with a live broadcast on ABC, and streaming live on ESPN Plus.
Where to Watch the Game
The game is scheduled to start at 3:30 p.m. ET with TV coverage on ABC and streaming from FuboTV (free trial), Sling (1st-month discount) and ESPN+ ($10.99/mo.).
Kentucky Wildcats Outlook
Kentucky delivered a tighter performance in Week 1 with a 31-0 win over Southern Miss at Kroger Field. That game was called in the third quarter for lightning and was eventually whistled final with UK rolling on both sides of the ball.
South Carolina Gamecocks Outlook
The Gamecocks hit the road for Lexington, Ky., and their first Southeastern Conference matchup of the 2024 season against the Wildcats of Kentucky. South Carolina was sloppy in its opener against Old Dominion at home last weekend, scoring twice off short fields to stave off Old Dominion, 23-19.
Gamecocks Defense Shuts Down Kentucky
LEXINGTON — LaNorris Sellers threw two touchdown passes, Nick Emmanwori returned one of South Carolina’s two interceptions for another score and the Gamecocks held Kentucky to just 183 yards for a 31-6 victory to open Southeastern Conference play on Saturday.
Raheim Sanders rushed for a 21-yard touchdown late in the third quarter to help break the game open for South Carolina (2-0) in the SEC’s lone head-to-head matchup. For one week, the Gamecocks sit atop the expanded 16-team league and can thank their opportunistic defense for helping make it possible in the nationally televised game.
Emmanwori’s 24-yard pick-6 to start the fourth quarter effectively sealed their third consecutive win over the Wildcats (1-1). Jalon Kilgore followed with an interception of backup Gavin Wimsatt, giving the Gamecocks four through two games.
Alex Raynor kicked field goals of 32 and 39 just before halftime for Kentucky.
South Carolina also rang up five sacks, capping a defensive performance that held Kentucky to just 44 yards passing.
South Carolina led throughout thanks to Sellers, who threw TD passes of 24 yards to wide-open Mazeo Bennett Jr. in the first quarter and 16 to Joshua Simon in the third to make 17-6. Sellers completed 11 of 15 for 159 yards.
South Carolina's Dominant Defense
South Carolina continued its fierce defensive play with a backfield presence that harassed Brock Vandagriff early and often and blew up other plays before they could develop. That helped Sellers’ early touchdown stand long enough for the Gamecocks to add another TD coming out of the break.
Final Thoughts
The Wildcats lost a tough one to the Gamecocks, and while their offense is still a work in progress, they can take solace in the fact that the rest of their schedule isn't as difficult as their opening two games. The Gamecocks, on the other hand, will look to build on this momentum as they travel to Florida next week. The Gamecocks' offense looked good, but it was the defense that stole the show. If they can continue to play at this level, they will be a tough team to beat.
