South Carolina @ Kentucky preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 5, 2013 ) Kentucky 28, South Carolina 35

Kentucky will be without two key contributors when the Wildcats host South Carolina in an SEC game Saturday night. Stanley Williams and Dorian Baker are among four Kentucky players suspended for their involvement in a BB gun incident near campus housing Sunday night, leading to a lockdown at the university. Williams leads the team in total yards, racking up 105 on kickoff returns, 101 on the ground and 75 receiving, while Baker has 11 catches for 122 yards and a touchdown this season.

The Wildcats still have one of the best quarterback-receiver combinations in the conference in sophomores Patrick Towles and Ryan Timmons, who have hooked up 20 times for 246 yards and a touchdown this season. South Carolina quarterback Dylan Thompson missed Monday's practice with a sore neck but it's likely he'll play against Kentucky, a team he scored his first career touchdown against as a freshman three years ago. His two primary targets, Nick Jones and Pharoh Cooper, aren't big but they know how to get open, combining for 46 catches for 627 yards and six touchdowns.

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network. LINE: South Carolina -5

ABOUT SOUTH CAROLINA (3-2, 2-2 SEC): The Gamecocks will need to shake the memory of their collapse last week against Missouri, when they gave up 14 unanswered points in the final seven minutes and lost 21-20. They've scored two more points than their opponents overall this season, but have been outscored by double digits in the first and fourth quarters. Look for South Carolina to lean on leading rusher Mike Davis early in the game against Kentucky and hope he duplicates last weekend's 104-yard effort.

ABOUT KENTUCKY (3-1, 1-1): Look for Braylon Heard and Jojo Kemp to get the extra workload with Williams suspended. Heard tends to get the bulk of his carries early in the game and Kemp late, as he did when he picked up all 60 of his yards on the final drive of Saturday's 17-7 win against Vanderbilt. Mikel Horton (5.3 yards per carry) gives the Wildcats a strong third option in their run attack.

EXTRA POINTS

1. The Wildcats allowed 139 total yards in last week's win against Vanderbilt, their fewest in an SEC game since 1996.

2. Kentucky is averaging 8.4 yards per pass attempt and 290.5 passing yards a game.

3. South Carolina has already lost two home games, its most since 2008.

PREDICTION: Kentucky 34, South Carolina 28