By Keith Taylor
Special to NKyTribune
It’s been a while since Kentucky has won a true road game. It’s been even longer since the Wildcats have defeated a Southeastern Conference opponent outside of Commonwealth Stadium.
The Wildcats’ last road win was a 23-16 victory over Louisville five years ago. The last league victory away from home was a 24-13 triumph over Vanderbilt in 2009.
Kentucky coach Mark Stoops said the program’s struggles on the road, especially against conference foes has been “well documented.” The Wildcats will attempt to end the 22-game road losing streak Saturday at South Carolina in a 7:30 p.m. kickoff in the conference opener for both teams at Williams Brice Stadium.
“This is going to be another great challenge,” Stoops said of the Gamecocks, who opened with a 17-13 win over North Carolina last week. “ (It’s) a great opportunity for us. That is the big thing we will take from it. We have to worry about ourselves and our preparation. We have to go down there with a great mindset and try to get a victory in a very hostile environment.”
Stoops, who just missed ending the road woes in a 36-30 triple overtime loss to Florida in the conference opener last year in Gainesville, said the Wildcats have little room for error if they want to end the streak.
“You have to be a complete football team on the road and a lot of times you have to protect the football,” he said. “It is a mentality (and) a toughness that you have to have to go on the road and be disciplined to come out of there with a victory.”
An early underdog, Kentucky, as its proved last season, is capable of putting an end to the misery.
In the last meeting between the SEC East rivals, Kentucky scored 21 points in the last eight minutes and rallied for a 45-38 triumph over the Gamecocks, the team’s second in 22 attempts against a Steve Spurrier-coached team. Since then, Stoops hasn’t been bragging about the win and understands “what goes around comes around.”
“Believe me I am not one to be spouting off about anything,” he said. “I just mind myself.”
Although South Carolina isn’t the offensive and defensive prowess they have been in the past, Stoops said his team will still “have our hands full this week” and added the Gamecocks will have revenge on their minds in their first home game of the season.
“With us beating them last year we have to go into their place and it will be a very, very difficult environment and they will be hungry to get after us with a very good football team,” Stoops said. “So, we will have all hands full.”
Spurrier said last year’s loss to Kentucky was similar to other setbacks his team endured and added he has personally moved past the seven-point defeat.
“I’ve always believed last year’s game with whomever you played is history,” the South Carolina coach said. “Every game stands on its own merit. We got beat last year, we got beat several times last year in a similar way and we are trying to prevent it from happening this year.”
Kentucky has other ideas, and Spurrier has been keeping track of the Wildcats’ progress under Stoops.
“They are very close to being a winning team and very easily could be this year. They beat Louisiana-Lafayette last week, scored a lot of points,” Spurrier said. “We have to be ready to play very well.”
Keith Taylor is a columnist and senior sports reporter for KyForward.com