Gameday Guide: USC-Kentucky TV details, pregame events schedule, key players, more

South Carolina and Kentucky will face off Saturday at Williams-Brice Stadium in the SEC opener for both teams.

GAME INFO

▪  WHO: South Carolina (1-0) vs. Kentucky (1-0)

▪  WHERE: Williams-Brice Stadium (80,250)

▪  WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Saturday

▪  TV: SEC Network (Brent Musburger, play-by-play; Jesse Palmer, analysis; Maria Taylor, sideline)

▪  RADIO: WNKT-FM 107.5 (Todd Ellis, Tommy Suggs, Langston Moore)

▪  SATELLITE RADIO: Sirius 102/XM 102

▪  LINE: USC by 7.5

▪  SERIES RECORD: This is the 27th meeting in a series that dates back to 1937 between the Gamecocks and Wildcats. USC leads the all-time series 17-8-1, including an 8-3-1 mark in Columbia and a 9-5 advantage in Lexington.

▪  HISTORY: UK’s last win in Columbia was in 1999, a 30-10 victory. Kentucky won last season, 45-38, in Lexington. The last time the Wildcats won consecutive games in the series was in 1998-99.

▪  SEC OPENERS: The Gamecocks are 10-13 in SEC openers, including a 3-5 mark when opening SEC play at home. UK has a 20-58-3 record in SEC openers.

▪  JERSEY REPORT: The Gamecocks will wear garnet jerseys and white pants for the game.

▪  WEATHER REPORT: The daytime high temperature will be around 86, with an overnight low into the mid-60s. Expect mostly cloudy conditions with a 40 percent chance of rain.

GAMEDAY EVENTS

1. The $14.5 million Springs Brooks Plaza around Williams-Brice Stadium is ready for its debut this weekend. It replaces decades of asphalt parking lots with a tree-lined, campus-like atmosphere.

2. The statue honoring George Rogers, USC’s Heisman Trophy winner, will be unveiled and dedicated at 4 p.m. Saturday. It is located in the Northwest corner, near the intersection of George Rogers Boulevard and Bluff Road, with him looking at the stadium. The statue and plaza are among the new things around the stadium this year.

3. The South Carolina team’s Gamecock Walk takes place on the brick walkway in Gamecock Park at approximately 5 p.m., or 2.5 hours prior to kickoff.

4. The eight-member University of South Carolina Athletics Hall of Fame 2015 class will be recognized on the field Saturday.

5. USC coaches and players will kick off the third annual Curing Kids Cancer awareness campaign, which highlights National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month in September. Players and coaches will both wear Curing Kids Cancer glow-in-the-dark wristbands, while coaches will wear golf whistles and Curing Kids Cancer lanyards.

GAMEDAY STORYLINES

1. EXPONENTIAL

Nobody expected Connor Mitch to become Steve Young after one game. He was so beaten up against the Tar Heels he was barely Steve DeBerg. With Kentucky expected to clog the run and force Mitch to throw, he needs to live up to the “most improvement is between Games 1-2” tag.

2. I’M OPEN!

It wasn’t just that no receivers beside Pharoh Cooper failed to do much of anything. It was that anybody other than Cooper had a hard time getting open. Whoever is out there – Jamari Smith added to the rotation? – has to get a sliver of space and help out Mitch. And catching the ball when it’s thrown in the chest would help.

3. HANDS TEAM

Shannon Dawson has instituted a pass-happy system at Kentucky, and Patrick Towles threw for 257 yards in his opener. The Gamecocks intercepted three passes against another pass-happy quarterback last week. They need a Take 2.

4. MIDDLE MEN

Elijah Hood galloped barely touched through the Gamecocks’ defensive front, bringing reminders of last year. One of last year’s most bitter memories – Kentucky’s JoJo Kemp – is back and doubtless wants more. He only rushed three times for 34 yards last week, but Stanley “Boom” Williams had 135 on 10 attempts.

5. HOME STYLE

Williams-Brice Stadium beckons. The Gamecocks need to re-take what made it so special during their glorious 2011-13 run. Kentucky has been deplorable on the road in the SEC, and that needs to stay intact.

GAMEDAY RESOURCES

The University of South Carolina has available several detailed resources to help you on gameday, including a stadium policies page online, an updated Williams-Brice Stadium map and a fan guide.

PLAYERS TO WATCH - KENTUCKY

1. Sophomor receiver Garrett Johnson, who had 271 receiving yards last year, but caught five passes for 85 yards and a touchdown last week.

2. Senior linebacker Josh Forrest led the Wildcats in tackles last year and is off to a fast start this season. He made 10.5 tackles against Louisiana-Lafayette and added an interception, a sack and three pass breakups.

3. Running back Stanley Williams had the best game of his freshman season in Kentucky’s last game of 2014 and picked up where he left off on Saturday with 10 carries for 135 yards and a score.

PLAYERS TO WATCH - USC

1. Sophomore quarterback Connor Mitch makes his first home start after completing 9-of-22 passes for 122 yards and a touchdown last week in the win over North Carolina.

2. Senior running back Shon Carson came off the bench and scored the game-winning touchdown last week and could be in line for more touches against the Wildcats.

3. Junior defensive tackle Kelsey Griffin recorded 1.5 sacks against UNC but opened the week third on the depth chart. Griffin could still be in line for more action if he can remain disruptive.

JERSEY SWAPS

Starting right tackle Mason Zandi, who normally wears number 74, will instead sport 51 in honor of fellow offensive lineman Cody Waldrop, who suffered a broken ankle in practice over the weekend. Jamari Smith, now at wide receiver, will wear No. 83.

PALMETTO STATE CONNECTIONS

Kentucky’s trip to Columbia will mark a homecoming for several Wildcats who call South Carolina home, including sophomore WR Blake Bone (Woodruff), senior DE Farrington Huguenin (Columbia), senior DT Cory Johnson (Columbia) and freshman WR Tavin Richardson (Duncan).

ROSTERS, DEPTH CHARTS, STATS

Roster links: South Carolina | Kentucky

Depth charts: South Carolina | Kentucky

Team stats: South Carolina | Kentucky

South Carolina’s projected depth chart

OFFENSE

WR – SAMUEL (Jeffery, Neal)

WR – P. COOPER (Belton)

WR – HEARD (Googer, Christian)

LT – SHELL (Pellage)

LG – MATULIS (Bailey)

C – KNOTT (Bailey)

RG – SPORT (Stanley)

RT – ZANDI (Camper)

TE – ADAMS (Hurst, Markway, August)

QB – MITCH (Orth, Scarnecchia, Nunez)

FB – BEDENBAUGH (Gist)

TB – WILDS (Da. Williams, Carson)

DEFENSE

DE – C. COOPER (D. Johnson, Dixon)

DT – STALLWORTH (Sawyer, Griffin)

NT – DIXON JR. (Dukes, Lamin)

DE – LEWIS (English, Whitlow)

MLB – MOORE (Holloman)

WLB – WALTON (Allen-Williams)

SLB – BRYANT (Hawkins)

SPUR – GURLEY (Sasser, Boyd)

LCB – Harris (Elder/Fenton)

FS – I. JOHNSON (Moody)

SS – DIGGS (D. Smith)

RCB – MCWILLIAMS (Elder/Fenton)

SPECIAL TEAMS

KO – ARD (Fry)

PK – FRY (Ard)

P – KELLY (Almond)

KR – SAMUEL (Carson)

PR – P. COOPER (Lammons)

LSN – DR. WILLIAMS (McGriff)

H – KELLY (Ard)

This story was originally published September 10, 2015 at 4:31 PM.