South Carolina-Kentucky Football Should Make for a Defensive Battle

Before we get ahead of ourselves and claim that the Gamecocks are all of a sudden a potent, lethal SEC offense because they posted 31 points and 405 yards (including 327 in the air) in a win at Ole Miss, let’s not forget that the Rebels are 11th in scoring defense, 11th in total defense, and 12th in pass defense.  So while Chris Smelley had a great game, it was against a terrible defense.  That said, there is room for optimism because of the receiver play from the Gamecocks. Nine different receivers caught a ball, Kenny McKinley returned from injury, and Jared Cook rumbled 64 yards with a catch—providing a rare, home-run play from the Gamecocks.  Kentucky’s strength, as the nation saw last weekend, is clearly its defense, much like South Carolina. The two teams are ranked first and second in the conference in pass defense and are almost identical in rush defense, as well. Translation: This should be a big-hitting, defensive battle.  The difference in the ... (link)