Photo by Vicki Graff
Kentucky fans haven’t seen a defense like this in over a decade. Loaded top to bottom with veterans, along with quality depth at every position, Kentucky’s defense ranks 11th overall in the country for total defense.
The Wildcats are coming off a 28-7 blowout of the Mississippi State Bulldogs, leading to a 17th place ranking in the latest AP Top-25 poll.
Ranking 21st in the country for run defense, the Cats proved their worth of the ranking by holding fifth-leading SEC rusher Kylin Hill to just 14 yards and dual-threat quarterback Nick Fitzgerald to just 20 yards.
Tied seventh in the country for scoring defense, it was the lowest score Kentucky had allowed to an opponent all season. The Cats had even allowed more points to the likes of Murray State and four times as many points to Central Michigan.
Now, as the Wildcats are preparing to face a South Carolina Gamecock team on Saturday night, they won’t want to look ahead to their matchup with Texas A&M next week.
While they gave up a 41-spot to the third-ranked Georgia Bulldogs, the Gamecocks actually rank 32nd in the country for total defense. That would explain them holding Coastal Carolina & Vanderbilt to 15 and 14 points, respectively.
They rank 23rd in the country for least passing yards allowed, so expect the Gamecocks to load the box on Benny Snell and allow their defensive backs to go one-on-one against Kentucky receivers.
Quarterback Terry Wilson has started and finished four games for four wins but his performances have been far from efficient. In-fact, his only game without a turnover came against Murray State.
Against a team that relies on their defense for offense (ranking last in the SEC for total offense), Wilson will need to take care of the football in his decision-making.
The Gamecocks haven’t beaten Kentucky in four consecutive years and, despite Kentucky being ranked 17th, South Carolina actually finds themselves opening as a one-point favorite.
Odds makers believe this game is a essentially a coin flip, but Benny Snell, Josh Allen and the rest of a veteran Wildcats team will have something to say about that come Saturday night.
