Three keys to victory for the Kentucky Wildcats on the road against South Carolina

Kentucky has a really important game on their hands Saturday night on the road against South Carolina, one where the Wildcats will be coming off of a bye week looking to prove that the Cutter Boley hype is real. Against Eastern Michigan, Kentucky's offense looked smooth and efficient, something that wasn't the case in the first two games.

Heading into Columbia, the Wildcats are facing a make or break type of scenario after dropping the Ole Miss game and knowing the tough schedule that's ahead of them. Let's take a look at some keys to victory in order for Kentucky to pull off the very important road win.

Kentucky's pass rush will have to shine once again

Kentucky's front seven is not only the best unit of the team, but also arguably one of the best defensive line's in the SEC. They will really need to continue to have that impressive play from the unit on display Saturday when they face a South Carolina offense that leans heavily on quarterback La'Norris Sellers creating huge explosive plays. Kentucky is near the bottom of the country in passing yards allowed per game, and a big reason why is teams have been able to create explosive plays. Ole Miss, for example, was able to get off explosive plays when it mattered, despite Kentucky's pass rush wreaking havoc for most of the game. Kentucky will need to limit those and keep the incredible pass rushing going, especially with South Carolina having

Force South Carolina to run the ball

South Carolina's offensive weakness is clearly the running game. With their offense heavily relying on what their talented quarterback Sellers can do, the Gamecocks haven't really been able to get their run game going. Through four games, South Carolina has ran for just 321 yards, while opponents have doubled that, another reason for Kentucky to establish the run on offense. The Gamecocks have also managed to run for only 2.6 yards per carry as well as 80.2 yards per game on the ground, which ranks last in the SEC. It's also worth noting that it's expected to be a very rainy day in Columbia as of now, so the run game could be a big factor in the game overall.

Kentucky will need to run the ball

Cutter Boley was able to move the ball very efficiently against Eastern Michigan, but Saturday, Kentucky will need to go right after one of South Carolina's biggest weaknesses, which is containing the run game, allowing for 608 yards on the ground through four games, which ranks 14th in the SEC. As for Kentucky, that's one of the overall team strengths on offense, ranking 28th in FBS in rushing offense. The Wildcats, through three games, have 644 yards, including 5.1 yards per carry and finding the endzone nine times on the ground. That's going to be one of Kentucky's biggest keys offensively, especially so when you consider South Carolina's impressive secondary, which is known for creating turnovers. Kentucky will need to stay ahead of the chains on Saturday and not find themselves in a lot of third-and-long situations.

It's a huge game for both programs, as their overall success for this season hinges on this game. Kentucky will hope to be on the right track when they leave Columbia. Kickoff is set for 7:45 pm ET on SEC Network.