WEEK 4 GAMECOCKFANATIC POLL: Now that week 3 is in the books with a loss to Georgia. It's Kentucky's' week, can the Gamecocks go 3-1?

[FeatheredCock]

WEEK 4 GAMECOCKFANATIC POLL: Now that week 3 is in the books with a loss Georgia. It's Kentucky's' week, can the Gamecocks go 3-1?

Make no mistake about it, the Georgia team the Gamecocks faced off on Saturday could well take the title away from Bama. Yes they are deep in talent, size and speed. What I watch tonight was scary. Gamecocks where the first team to score a touchdown on this years Georgia squad. With little over a minute left in the game Gamecock were on the verge of a 2nd TD which just fell short. Yes the Gamecocks had there butts cut by very very very talented team Saturday night. That being said, let's put this one to bed. Gamecocks' do not need for Georgia to beat them twice.  Gamecocks' need to put their focus on Kentucky a home game for the Gamecocks which will be played in the Cockpit Saturday night.

Now that being said. Georgia who?

Kentucky has but together over the past few years some talent players and frankly the Gamecocks' have not won many lately. So what! The Gamecocks are due to win one. Kentucky stands at 3-0 and the Gamecocks 2-1. I feel gamecocks will match up better with Kentucky.

Can the Gamecocks overcome Saturdays lost to Georgia and beat Kentucky Saturday? will the Gamecock and Wildcats combined score over 40 points or under 40 points?  Let's go vote!!

 

[Spur's Addiction]

Stay Focus! This win is crucial to get to 6 and and a bowl game. 

 

[CockyCody]

HAVE TO LEARN TO BLOCK OR AT LEAST GET IN SOMEONE'S WAY!!!!!!!

 

[CockyinVa]

HAVE TO LEARN TO BLOCK OR AT LEAST GET IN SOMEONE'S WAY!!!!!!!

Would love to know what's going through Beamers head as he watches film on the O line verus GA.  Not what he says on Tuesday.  Maybe he needs to get more envolved with Adkins in their coaching.  Hopefully we see game by game improvement.   Still believe we can get 6 wins and a bowl.  Kentucky should be one of these wins.

 

[CockyCody]

Would love to know what's going through Beamers head as he watches film on the O line verus GA.  Not what he says on Tuesday.  Maybe he needs to get more envolved with Adkins in their coaching.  Hopefully we see game by game improvement.   Still believe we can get 6 wins and a bowl.  Kentucky should be one of these wins.

That would be interesting.  I have to admit that during the game Saturday night, I did see Beamer get po'd and he was giving someone on the other side of his headset a few F bombs.  He always seems so even keel that I was surprised to see this but it made me feel good at the same time.

 

[kingofnerf]

Beamer knows what the team's bad tendencies are by now.

UK will try to light us up in the air on the first possession to try and catch us flat-footed like we were against ECU and UGA.

They will also try to strip Vann and Joyner after catches, because you can do that consistently now.

Then just stack the box on an OL that can't block very well against an SEC-caliber opponent.

The players are still the wildcard for me, but it's kinda like squeezing a marble and not knowing which way it will go.

 

[Homebrewcock]

Unfortunately I think UK will win.  I believe their offense is for real and while I think our D can hold them here and there, I worry about our offense.  We seem to have bad penalties and our OL is really struggling.  I thought our running game would be better, but if we can't stretch the field, opponents will stack the box making running the ball difficult.  If we can't move the ball on the ground, it will be tough to beat UK, even at home.

 

[kingofnerf]

The injuries to Greene and Noland took the wind out of a lot of fans' sails, but we kept Sanford quiet in the first half after we got the pick.

Win or lose, I think we'll have a sell-out for the the UK game because fans are still energized by Beamer.

 

[ConwayGamecock]

Well, we are 1-6 against UK over the past 7 seasons. Certainly have NO position to boast or take this game as a sure win, but I feel this is a very winnable game for us. We STILL NEED to find a way to cut out the penalties and turnovers, and stupid unsportsmanlike penalties that hamstring us.

Folks are saying that Kentucky "had a bad game" against FCS Chattanooga. Chattanooga gained almost as many total yards as UK did, and led in the 4th Qtr. 16-14. UK had 3 turnovers to the Mocc's 1, so they certainly played a sloppy game. The Mocs had 4 redzone opportunities and scored all 4 times, to just 2 opportunities for the Wildcats.

So, a pretty bad game for the WIldcats, right?

Well, UK has played three games, not one. Like UGA, they are 3-0. Like Missouri, we are 2-1. Our SEC game thus far was UGA on the road in Athens. UK's one game thus far was at home against Missouri.

UGA's SEC Scoring Defense thus far through 3 games: 2nd
Missouri's Scoring Defense thus far: 14th
UGA's Rushing Defense: 4th
Missouri's Rushing Defense: 14th
UGA's Passing Defense: 3rd
Missouri's Passing Defense: 7th
UGA's Total Defense: 1st
Missouri's Total Defense: 14th

Bottom line: Missouri's defense IS NOWHERE ON THE RADAR with UGA's defense. 

Then, the third game was at home against a weak Sunbelt Conference team that is borderline FCS-level in Louisiana-Monroe. UL-M has only played 2 games thus far, the 2nd being a 12-7 victory against FCS Jackson State. All 12 points scored by UL-M came by field goals. UL-M gained a total of 250 yards in the game: Jackson State gained 285.

UL-M is averaging 11 ppg, 55.5 rushing ypg, and 168.5 TOTAL yards per game, in the two games they've played thus far. So of course they are last or next to last in every offensive statistic in their conference thus far. Two games is not much of a sample size to go on - the three games everyone have played thus far is not much better - but if anyone should be able to show they are a competitive team, it should be against an opponent from the level below them.

South Carolina beat FCS Eastern Illinois 46-0, UK beat FCS Chattanooga, 28-23 in a tightly contested game, and had their best game against mid-major UL_m where they won 45-10. UL-M beat their FCS opponent 12-7.

So what does all this nonsense mean? Kentucky's strength thus far has been their offensive output, but they've essentially played one FBS and two FCS-caliber opponents, and hasn't really played anyone that had a defense with much of a pulse, with the exception of FCS Chattanooga, thus far. They beat up on UL-M with a terrible defense via the passing game, and beat up on Missouri with a terrible defense via the ground game. And then battled it out with FCS Chattanooga who gave as much as they took.

This is a very winnable game. Although there have been a couple or so of those losses to UK in recent years where they seemed to come out with all cylinders firing, I like our chances in a packed Williams-Brice. I remain always hopeful.......

 

[Cockyandproud]

Well, we are 1-6 against UK over the past 7 seasons. Certainly have NO position to boast or take this game as a sure win, but I feel this is a very winnable game for us. We STILL NEED to find a way to cut out the penalties and turnovers, and stupid unsportsmanlike penalties that hamstring us.

Folks are saying that Kentucky "had a bad game" against FCS Chattanooga. Chattanooga gained almost as many total yards as UK did, and led in the 4th Qtr. 16-14. UK had 3 turnovers to the Mocc's 1, so they certainly played a sloppy game. The Mocs had 4 redzone opportunities and scored all 4 times, to just 2 opportunities for the Wildcats.

So, a pretty bad game for the WIldcats, right?

Well, UK has played three games, not one. Like UGA, they are 3-0. Like Missouri, we are 2-1. Our SEC game thus far was UGA on the road in Athens. UK's one game thus far was at home against Missouri.

UGA's SEC Scoring Defense thus far through 3 games: 2nd
Missouri's Scoring Defense thus far: 14th
UGA's Rushing Defense: 4th
Missouri's Rushing Defense: 14th
UGA's Passing Defense: 3rd
Missouri's Passing Defense: 7th
UGA's Total Defense: 1st
Missouri's Total Defense: 14th

Bottom line: Missouri's defense IS NOWHERE ON THE RADAR with UGA's defense. 

Then, the third game was at home against a weak Sunbelt Conference team that is borderline FCS-level in Louisiana-Monroe. UL-M has only played 2 games thus far, the 2nd being a 12-7 victory against FCS Jackson State. All 12 points scored by UL-M came by field goals. UL-M gained a total of 250 yards in the game: Jackson State gained 285.

UL-M is averaging 11 ppg, 55.5 rushing ypg, and 168.5 TOTAL yards per game, in the two games they've played thus far. So of course they are last or next to last in every offensive statistic in their conference thus far. Two games is not much of a sample size to go on - the three games everyone have played thus far is not much better - but if anyone should be able to show they are a competitive team, it should be against an opponent from the level below them.

South Carolina beat FCS Eastern Illinois 46-0, UK beat FCS Chattanooga, 28-23 in a tightly contested game, and had their best game against mid-major UL_m where they won 45-10. UL-M beat their FCS opponent 12-7.

So what does all this nonsense mean? Kentucky's strength thus far has been their offensive output, but they've essentially played one FBS and two FCS-caliber opponents, and hasn't really played anyone that had a defense with much of a pulse, with the exception of FCS Chattanooga, thus far. They beat up on UL-M with a terrible defense via the passing game, and beat up on Missouri with a terrible defense via the ground game. And then battled it out with FCS Chattanooga who gave as much as they took.

This is a very winnable game. Although there have been a couple or so of those losses to UK in recent years where they seemed to come out with all cylinders firing, I like our chances in a packed Williams-Brice. I remain always hopeful.......

I think it is very winnable for us, and I feel we will win.  

 

[CockyinVa]

I think it is very winnable for us, and I feel we will win.  

I'll stop just a hair short of calling this a must win.  1st SEC game at home after a loss on the road.  Offense and defense need a confidence builder.  I don't care if we win by 1 point.  IF we are going to get 6 (+)  wins and a shot at a bowl we need this.  0-2 in conference play would be a downer going against UT & Missouri.  Plus my physic needs it!

 

[kingofnerf]

I'll stop just a hair short of calling this a must win.  1st SEC game at home after a loss on the road.  Offense and defense need a confidence builder.  I don't care if we win by 1 point.  IF we are going to get 6 (+)  wins and a shot at a bowl we need this.  0-2 in conference play would be a downer going against UT & Missouri.  Plus my physic needs it!

I think this is a "must play better" game, but I also think we can get the win if we do that.

 

[The Bear]

 The key will be if the O line can rub block and we time to run the clock on them shorten the game, but It's not going to be as close of an game as people , might think  I think Kentucky has an good QB, and if they get the run game  going look out.   The difference could be the fans early in the game how loud it get's., and our D line has to get an turnover early and we go score. If that happens GAMECOCKS could win , but I am looking for Kentucky to take it 

and win 31 to 17.  

 

[Traveling Man]

As always, I'm optimistic of a win. Home field advantage, special teams, and Defense is an advantage for us. Offense as we all know is not but our troubles can be corrected. I think we have 1 or two real good plays on Special teams along with a couple turnovers and we have a fighting chance. Kentucky is not Georgia and we should match up pretty durn good, our offensive line against their defensive line. Our guys have to block better then we have seen, I say we correct some of the mistakes this week during practice and few gametime mistakes during halftime to seal the win. Go Cocks!

 

[Denny Crane]

I’m cautiously optimistic, one of many pivotal moments as our team tries to find its identity.