Kentucky vs South Carolina: 5 Halftime Adjustments the Wildcats Must Make

It's halftime in Columbia, and the South Carolina Gamecocks are on the verge of blowing out the Kentucky Wildcats. Both offenses have been inconsistent in the first half, but USC really began to turn up the heat in the second quarter, and it's showing on the scoreboard.

Can the 'Cats come back? Absolutely, but it's going to take some major changes at halftime. Here's what UK needs to do.

5. Pressure Connor Shaw: South Carolina's QB situation is hardly stable. While Shaw has looked decent so far today, he has to be feeling the pressure to perform and keep his newfound starting job. If the Wildcats bring the heat on USC's signal-caller, they can force him to make bad decisions and possible pick up some turnovers.

4. Get Tricky on Offense: UK's offense has been lackluster so far. There's no way around it. To fix it, Kentucky needs to catch the USC defense off guard. This can be on screens, draws, misdirections—anything to create a little extra space to gain a few yards. Then, when South Carolina starts to react, big trick plays like the attempted halfback pass in the first quarter can be very successful.

3. No Single Coverage on Jeffery: Alshon Jeffery can beat just about anybody one-on-one. Kentucky already saw it on both of his touchdowns in the first half and can expect to see it again and again today. The 'Cats need to keep a safety watching him at all times, because it's never worth the risk to leave him in single coverage.

2. Convert Opportunities: After an unimpressive first quarter from Kentucky, the score was still only 7-3. If UK could have scored a touchdown with a shortened field on the opening possession, it would have been tied. The Wildcats defense has done plenty to keep the team in the game; it's up to the offense now to take advantage of the opportunities it has been given.

1. Stay Patient: There's a lot of time left to play. There's no reason to be heaving low-percentage long bombs on streak routes at every opportunity. If the 'Cats are going to come back, they'll need to stay within themselves on offense and stop trying to get it all back at once.