Three Takeaways: Offense Collapses, Injuries Loom Large After 24-14 Loss to South Carolina

The Will Levis-less Wildcats couldn't muster any offense on Saturday night in Lexington, falling to the South Carolina Gamecocks 24-14 at Kroger Field.

Here are three takeaways from the lackluster loss:

Kentucky Needs Will Levis...Bad

Kaiya Sheron did a good job at times against the Gamecocks. Other times...he looked lost, taking unnecessary sacks and lost yardage.

The point is, it doesn't matter who's at quarterback for Kentucky if it isn't Levis. Sheron had no time in the pocket at all times, forcing him to make throws on the run or just rolling out to evade pressure. Levis just does things that you can't teach or duplicate, and obviously UK needs that kind of talent under center in order to score points consistently.

The Offensive Line is Still Atrocious

More on the point of needing Levis, only someone of his caliber is able to handle an offensive line that's been as bad as Kentucky's. Missing Jeremy Flax at right tackle is an issue, sure, but take this stat:

South Carolina entered Saturday with four sacks on the season...it sacked Sheron six times. Sheron could've avoided a few of those, but he had hardly any time to make anything happen.

It's past the point of still needing continuity or having to "gel." The Big Blue Wall is not up to standard this season. Not even close.

Injuries Have Taken a SERIOUS Toll

It's expected that Levis is going to return next week against Mississippi State, but that could be the least of worries in regards to injuries. Tayvion Robinson, Dane Key and Barion Brown all appeared to pick up some sort of knock over the course of four quarters.

If any of those injuries turn out to be serious, the WR core takes a huge hit. If Flax isn't back next week, that's still a gaping hole in the O-line. Jacquez Jones being out at linebacker isn't as big of an issue due to the depth of the LB room, but he's still the second-leading tackler entering tonight. Kavosiey Smoke was nowhere to be seen at running back.

Add in already missing Jalen Geiger, Ramon Jefferson and Vito Tisdale for the season...we're talking about some major damage. Kentucky needs to get to that bye week after Miss State in a hurry.

Wildcats Today will have post-game coverage of the 24-14 loss to South Carolina. Watch Mark Stoops' reaction to the loss here