South Carolina vs Kentucky football kickoff time, odds, stream, radio, weather

Jeremiah Holloway
·5 min read

South Carolina returns to SEC play after a two-game detour.

The Gamecocks visit Kentucky on Saturday, looking for their first SEC win of the season. The Wildcats are the No. 13 team in the nation after losing to Ole Miss last week.

What channel is the South Carolina game on?

Who: South Carolina Gamecocks (3-2, 0-2 SEC) at Kentucky Wildcats (4-1, 1-1)

When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday

Where: Kroger Field (61,000) in Lexington, Ky.

TV: SEC Network

Stream: via ESPN app

On-air announce crew: Tom Hart (play-by-play), Jordan Rodgers (Analyst), Cole Cubelic (Sideline)

Radio: 107.5 FM in the Columbia area (Todd Ellis, play-by-play; Tommy Suggs, analyst; Jamar Nesbit, sideline) … See all the radio affiliates around South Carolina here.

Satellite radio: Sirius/XM 98 or 204

Series history: South Carolina leads 18-14-1; UK has won five in a row.

Top storylines for the game

  • Culture vs. climate: Both teams were entangled in a short-lived internet controversy in August, when some believed a Mark Stoops remark was a shot at Shane Beamer’s viral SEC Media Days video. Both coaches have since downplayed the incident, but Saturday is the first time the teams will match up since that moment.

  • Wildcats’ dominance over USC: Kentucky has won seven of the last eight games against South Carolina, all under Stoops. The last time South Carolina won in Lexington was in 2012, under Steve Spurrier.

  • Will Levis’ health: Levis is considered by many as a top-five quarterback prospect in the upcoming NFL Draft. He threw for just 102 yards against South Carolina last season in Columbia. He’s considered questionable to play with an injury.

  • Correcting road woes: USC has struggled on the road in the last few seasons. It hasn’t won an SEC road game since beating Vanderbilt in 2020.

  • Three in a row?: The Gamecocks haven’t won three games in a row since 2017. If the team wins on Saturday, it would be the first three-game winning streak of Beamer’s coaching career.

  • UK looks to bounce back: The Wildcats lost a close game against Ole Miss last week, as Levis was stripped of the ball in Kentucky’s last possession. Saturday serves as Kentucky’s chance to rebound against a USC team looking for its first SEC win this season.

Weather forecast for Lexington, Ky

Lexington is forecast to be cool with temperatures in the mid-50s to start the game Saturday night and ending in the upper 40s. Skies will be clear with a low chance of precipitation.

ESPN FPI game prediction

ESPN’s Football Power Index gives South Carolina a 24% chance to win against Kentucky on the road.

Point spread for USC Gamecocks vs. Kentucky

South Carolina is a 7-point underdog against No. 13 Kentucky, according to VegasInsider.com.

SEC college football betting lines this week

Odds according to VegasInsider consensus

Saturday, noon, Tennessee (-3) vs. LSU

Saturday, noon, Arkansas vs. Mississippi State (-8)

Saturday, noon, Missouri vs. Florida (-11)

Saturday, 3:30 p.m., Auburn vs. Georgia (-29.5)

Saturday, 4 p.m., Ole Miss (-18) vs. Vanderbilt

Saturday, 7:30 p.m., South Carolina vs. Kentucky (-7)

Saturday, 8 p.m., Texas A&M vs. Alabama (-24)

Players to watch

MarShawn Lloyd, RB, South Carolina: Lloyd has racked up 249 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns in the last two games. He leads the Gamecocks in total touchdowns with eight. He’ll be a weapon that USC will look for throughout the game.

Marcellas Dial, DB, South Carolina: Dial has stepped up for South Carolina’s banged-up secondary. He leads the team with two interceptions and five pass breakups. Dial has picked up a few pass interference penalties, but has made plays for the Gamecocks this season.

Will Levis, QB, Kentucky: Levis is considered one of the best quarterbacks in the SEC, but his status for the game is in doubt because of an injury. He’s thrown 36 touchdowns in eight games with the Wildcats. He’s been accurate with a 68.8% completion rate.

Barion Brown, WR, Kentucky: Brown is the Wildcats’ speediest asset. He’s a dangerous kick returner, with one kick-return touchdown so far and two returns that exceeded 50 yards against Ole Miss. He added 81 yards in the passing game last week, so the Gamecocks will need to account for him in both phases of the game.

South Carolina 2022 football schedule

USC depth chart

——OFFENSE——

  • QB: Spencer Rattler (Luke Doty)

  • RB: MarShawn Lloyd (Juju McDowell —OR— Christian Beal-Smith)

  • TE1: Jaheim Bell (Nate Adkins)

  • TE2: Austin Stogner (Traveon Kenion)

  • WR1: Xavier Legette —OR—Antwane Wells

  • WR2: Ahmarean Brown —OR— Dakereon Joyner (Corey Rucker)

  • WR3: Jalen Brooks —OR— Josh Vann

  • LT: Jaylen Nichols (Jakai Moore)

  • LG: Vershon Lee (Trai Jones)

  • OC: Eric Douglas (Hank Manos)

  • RG: Jovaughn Gwyn (Wyatt Campbell)

  • RT: Dylan Wonnum (Tyshawn Wannamaker)

——DEFENSE——

  • DE1: Jordan Burch (Tyreek Johnson)

  • DE2: Gilbert Edmond (Bryan Thomas Jr.)

  • DT1: Zacch Pickens OR MJ Webb

  • DT2: Tonka Hemingway OR Alex Huntley

  • MLB: Sherrod Greene (Stone Blanton)

  • WLB: Brad Johnson (Debo Williams)

  • NICK: Cam Smith (David Spaulding)

  • CB1: Marcellas Dial (Kajuan Banks)

  • CB2: Darius Rush (O’Donnell Fortune)

  • SS: Nick Emmanwori (RJ Roderick)

  • FS: Devonni Reed (DQ Smith)

——SPECIAL TEAMS——

  • PK: Mitch Jeter (Alex Herrera)

  • KO: Mitch Jeter (Alex Herrera)

  • P: Kai Kroeger (Alex Herrera)

  • LSN: Hunter Rogers (Matthew Bailey)

  • SSN: Hunter Rogers —OR— Matthew Bailey

  • H: Kai Kroeger (William Joyce)

  • KOR: Xavier Legette (Juju McDowell)

  • PR: Josh Vann (Ahmarean Brown)