When Kentucky and South Carolina kick off Saturday night in Columbia, plenty will be on the line. The winner will move ahead of the vast bulk of the mediocre SEC. Missouri already has a loss, Vandy is about to play a Murderers’ Row over the next four weeks, and either Florida or Tennessee will have a loss by the time of kickoff in Columbia.

With those ramifications in mind, here are five keys to the outcome of Kentucky vs. South Carolina.

1) Can Carolina’s running game buck the trend?

South Carolina is 2-0 despite running for just 3.3 yards per carry and 101.5 yards per game. That ranks 12th in the SEC. Meanwhile, Kentucky’s run defense has been stout, allowing just 2.0 yards per carry and 58.5 yards per game. Keep in mind that in 2016 in Lexington, Kentucky outrushed Carolina 216-91, which was a pivotal factor in the Wildcats’ 17-10 win.

Carolina has featured sophomore Rico Dowdle (below), who has just 75 yards on 26 carries so far in 2017. Transfer Ty’son Williams is the team’s leading rusher with 78 yards on 14 carries. Regardless of where the yards come from, Carolina’s chances will be drastically improved if they could rush for 150 or so yards Saturday.

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2) Can Kentucky get heat on Jake Bentley?

On the other side of things, the passing game situation favors Carolina. Jake Bentley has been a very efficient passer in 2016, completing 61 percent of his throws for 402 yards, four touchdowns, and just one interception. The Carolina offensive line, which allowed a league-worst 41 sacks in 2016, has allowed just four in two games this year.

Meanwhile, Kentucky has just three sacks in two games — against a middle of the pack CUSA team and an FCS foe. Edge rushers Denzil Ware and Josh Allen have the ability to get to Bentley, but with Kentucky’s secondary being picked apart for 282.5 yards per game by the aforementioned poor competition — and with star LB Jordan Jones potentially unable to play due to injury, they’ll need to have big games to keep Kentucky’s defense from giving up too many points to win.

3) Who will turn the ball over?

Neither team has been one of the SEC’s most effective offenses. But both have done a good job in avoiding turnovers. Each team has turned the ball over just once in two games — South Carolina on an interception, Kentucky on a fumble.

Conversely, Carolina has forced two interceptions and recovered three fumbles. Kentucky forced an interception and recovered four fumbles. Carolina had a +7 turnover margin in 2016, while Kentucky was worst in the SEC at -7.

Both already are at +4 on the young season. Turnovers may be pivotal in this matchup.

4) Whose special teams will be more special?

Again, with two fairly average offenses, hidden yards might be a key to the game. Both teams have special teams strength.

Carolina receiver Deebo Samuel returned a kickoff for a touchdown in each of the season’s first two games, establishing himself as at least the East’s most dangerous player.

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Kentucky senior kicker Austin MacGinnis will set the school scoring and field goal records this season and won two 2016 games with last-minute field goals. If the game comes down to a kick, Kentucky’s at an advantage over Carolina and freshman kicker Alexander Woznick, who is 1-for-2, with both attempts in the 30s.

On the other hand, if it hinges on a return, Samuel will be very hard to stop, especially for a Kentucky team that was gashed on kickoff returns last week by FCS Eastern Kentucky.

5) Is recent history a source of motivation or negativity?

Unlike Kentucky’s lopsided losing streak to Florida, or their string of losses against Tennessee from 1985 until 2011, the Wildcats have some history on their side Saturday night. Kentucky has won three consecutive games in this series.

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The last SEC team besides Vanderbilt to lose to Kentucky in four straight years was actually Florida, but Bear Bryant was the Kentucky coach who won those games (1948-1951).

Are we saying Mark Stoops is Bear Bryant? Well, no.

But for Gamecock seniors who have never beaten Kentucky, this mini-streak could either be a source of motivation or of impending doom. It’s a rare thing for Kentucky to have history on its side, but it does in this case. How Carolina handles that will have plenty to do with whether recent history continues or not.