There\u2019s a tenuous relationship between Kentucky and South Carolina. It\u2019s unavoidable for a variety of reasons, and yet Mark Stoops isn\u2019t building this game up as a bitter rivalry. <\/p>\n
It did not start with a war of words off the field between the head coaches, but Shane Beamer certainly used Stoops\u2019 \u201csunglass\u201d comments<\/a> to fuel his team to win at Kroger Field. That was just the second South Carolina win over the Cats in nine years. Now the Gamecocks have consecutive wins in the series, one that\u2019s expected to be played annually when the league moves to nine SEC games a year. <\/p>\n For Stoops, the past does not matter. He expects his Kentucky football program to learn from its mistakes, but that should not amplify the significance of Saturday\u2019s showdown in Lexington. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s always new team, new year. You\u2019ve always heard me say that, what, a hundred times? Whether it\u2019s dealing with bad streaks or good streaks, you name it, every team is a new year,\u201d he said Monday<\/a>. <\/p>\n Even so, Stoops is not ignoring history. Since Kentucky\u2019s come-from-behind victory in 2014, seven of the ten meetings have been decided by 10 points or less<\/strong>. Another close game may be on the horizon. It will certainly be a crazy environment at Kroger Field, but his team\u2019s motivation plays a secondary role in the outcome of the game. <\/p>\n \u201cIs juice overrated? We need to be prepared,\u201d he said. \u201cWe need to be prepared. Our guys after a two-hour 20-minute delay last week, they had juice. But it\u2019s really about going out and executing and playing. I think the fact that it\u2019s a conference game this early definitely amps things up a little.\u201d<\/p>\n