BY THE NUMBERS: Previewing Kentucky vs. South Carolina
A glance at some of the more intriguing stats and tidbits going into this week's matchup between the Wildcats and Gamecocks...
1st - Kentucky freshman Barion Brown leads the nation in kickoff return average at 47.7 yards per return. He's the only player in the nation with two returns of 80-plus yards this season. The Gamecocks rank second in the SEC in kickoff coverage, allowing only 13.7 yards per return.
3 - Straight games against ranked opponents to start SEC play for South Carolina. The Gamecocks previously played No. 16 Arkansas and No. 1 Georgia prior to this matchup with No. 13 Kentucky.
4 - Sacks on the season by the Gamecocks, which ranks 126th out of 131 FBS teams, but is only two sacks behind Kentucky at No. 113.
4:7 - Touchdown-to-interception ratio for South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler this season.
5 of the last 6 - Games between UK and USC have seen the Cats hold the Gamecocks to 20 points or less.
6 - Consecutive games with a rushing touchdown by Chris Rodriguez, matching Benny Snell for the longest streak by a UK running back since 1985.
6.1 - Yards per carry by South Carolina running back MarShawn Lloyd this season.
8 - Blocked kicks in 18 games under head coach Shane Beamer by South Carolina. The Gamecocks lead the nation with four blocked punts this season.
9 - Straight opponents held to 23 or fewer points by the UK defense. The Cats are 8-1 over that span.
15 of 436 - Carries by UK's Chris Rodriguez which have gone for a loss of yardage during his career.
18-14-1 - South Carolina's lead in the all-time series with UK. But the Cats have won back to back games over the Gamecocks, four straight in Lexington, and seven of the last eight meetings overall.
26 - Combined receptions for South Carolina running backs MarShawn Llyod and Juju McDowell. Lloyd has two TD catches on the season.
29% - Kentucky's defensive third-down conversion rate, which ranks 24th nationally. The Cats' first five opponents have only 20 combined conversions on the season.
31 - Consecutive games with a reception for UK receiver Tayvion Robinson, which ranks 8th among FBS players.
45-7 - Record for the Cats when leading at halftime under Mark Stoops.
78th - The Gamecocks' national rank in scoring defense at 27.2 points per game.
80 - Rushing yards needed by UK's Chris Rodriguez to move into the program's all-time Top 5.
106th - South Carolina's national rank in rushing defense. The Gamecocks are allowing 185.4 yards per game on the ground.