Scouting South Carolina at Kentucky: What to Look for When We Have the Ball

Carolina is set to take on the Kentucky Wildcats at Commonwealth Stadium this weekend. This will be a gut-check moment for Carolina, who will have to prove it knows how to handle unprecedented success and expectations by winning its first road game since beating N. C. State 7-3 in Raleigh in last season's opener. Here's a quick look at some of the things to pay attention to when we have the ball.

3. Can we avoid turnovers and "game-changing" plays that go against us?

One way to stage an upset is to get and capitalize on some big takeaways. We've been much better in this regard so far this year than we have in the past, but we have a long way to go before we've proven that we're truly a team that takes care of the ball really well. Let's hope we don't revert in Lexington.

2. Will we finally see the WildCock again?

If we're ever going to use it again, maybe it should be against Kentucky. Florida had a lot of success with it in what was by far their most successful offensive performance of the year, and Auburn's Cameron Newton was equally dominant running a similar approach. I doubt we put Stephon Gilmore in harms way unless other options don't seem to be working, though.

1. How well can we run the ball against Kentucky?

Kentucky is currently 97th in the country against the run, giving up a startling 190+ yards per game. The 'Cats are somewhat soft and banged up in the middle. You think Marcus Lattimore might be chomping at the bit to get a shot at breaking the century mark again? If there's one thing that should make you feel comfortable in this game, it's that we should be able to control field position and time of possession by running it right up the gut against the 'Cats, and that is usually a winning combination. That's particularly true late in the game, when a team with poor depth like Kentucky will really begin to wear out in the trenches.