By Annie Dunbar

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South Carolina will be hungry heading into its SEC showdown with UK at 7 p.m. Saturday in Commonwealth Stadium.

Coming off a disappointing loss at home to Missouri, the Gamecocks, who have a 3-2 overall record, are looking to clinch yet another conference victory. The squad has defeated Georgia and Vanderbilt to sit two slots above the Cats in the SEC East standings.

“I know Coach (Steve) Spurrier and their staff, they’ve been unhappy with inconsistent play at times, but that’s us as well,” UK head coach Mark Stoops said. “They certainly looked dynamic on both sides of the ball. Certain games in particular, you look at the Georgia game and how good they played. So, I’m sure they’re mad and ready to improve on all sides, just like we are.”

The Gamecocks have relied heavily on junior running back Mike Davis. Stoops is a big fan of Davis and loves the way he plays.

“Mike (Davis) is just a very good football player, always going forward,” Stoops said. “Very difficult to tackle. He’s got everything you want in a running back.”

The 2013 Second Team All-SEC member is averaging 73.6 rushing yards a game, tallying 384 total. Davis, combined with head  coach Steve Spurrier’s offensive schemes, will be challenging for UK’s “Bad Boys.”

“I think that makes him so successful,” Stoops said of Spurrier. “Coach obviously has done an unbelievable job for many years at getting his teams ready to play and doing what he has to do to win games.”

For Stoops, one of the biggest concerns is consistency. Throughout the Cats’ matchup with Vanderbilt, the defense held ground and did not allow the Commodores to score. The offensive side of the ball was a different story.

“We need to be more consistent, and I’ve said it over and over,” Stoops said. “Our team is starting to get that, but it comes down to being a fundamental football team on both sides of the ball and on special teams.“