The Associated Press

LEXINGTON - When the season began, the thought of Kentucky winning the Southeastern Conference was far-fetched at best.

But even though they're coming off a loss in their SEC opener, a 41-34 setback at Florida on Sept. 28, the Wildcats are talking as though a league title is still within reach.

GAME DAY

UK vs. South Carolina •Kickoff: 6:30 p.m. today, Commonwealth Stadium (67,530), Lexington. •Records: UK 4-1 (0-1 Southeastern Conference), South Carolina 4-2 (2-1). •TV: ESPN2. •Radio: WSAI-AM (1530). •Series: Tied 6-6-1. •Line: UK by 4 1/2. •What to watch: UK is trying to secure its first SEC victory over a team other than Vanderbilt since 1999. The Gamecocks won 42-7 last year. UK Team stats SC 393.8 Offense avg. 356.2 175.8 Avg. by rush 173.8 218 Avg. by pass 182.3 388.8 Defense avg. 318.5 157.8 Avg. by rush 147.3 231 Avg. by pass 171.2 40.8 Avg. points for 26.3 22.8 Avg. pts. against 19.3

"If we win out, we win the SEC, bottom line," senior cornerback Derrick Tatum said. "We don't want any two- or three-way ties, or ties for second place. We want to win all our games and say, 'We're the champs.'"

The Wildcats (4-1, 0-1) are off to their best start since 1984, but the rugged heart of their schedule begins today against South Carolina (4-2, 2-1).

Kentucky has lost two straight to the Gamecocks and hasn't beaten an SEC team other than lowly Vanderbilt since 1999.

The combined record of the four teams they've defeated this year is 7-15.

None of that has dimmed their optimism.

"If we don't make the mistakes that got us beat in Florida, we are going to be pretty successful in the coming weeks," junior receiver Chris Bernard said.

"We are a very good team. We just have to go out and prove it to everybody," junior quarterback Jared Lorenzen said.

South Carolina coach Lou Holtz is a believer, too, although Holtz is known to gush about every opponent his team faces.

"Kentucky might be the first- or second-best team in the (SEC's) Eastern Conference," Holtz said. "Georgia is awfully good, but I look at Kentucky, and I look at their chemistry, their togetherness and the way they do little things. It's very impressive."

Lorenzen said the chemistry has been forged by what the Cats have endured over the past two seasons - back-to-back 2-9 campaigns and stinging NCAA penalties, including a bowl ban.

The Wildcats say the lowest of the low points may have been last year's game at South Carolina. Last season, the Gamecocks scored touchdowns on four of their first six possessions and cruised to a 42-6 victory, Kentucky's most lopsided loss of the season.

"Worst game we played in a long time," senior defensive end Otis Grigsby said.

"We played terrible," Tatum said.

Unlike the current squad, Tatum said the Wildcats were a splintered group that week. A handful of players violated team rules, further distracting a team already reeling from a 1-3 start.

"We had some problems during the week that shouldn't have happened," Tatum said. "It's within the family, so I can't tell you what happened, but there were things that happened that shouldn't have happened."

A personal foul on Tatum triggered the onslaught. The first-half penalty kept alive South Carolina's first touchdown drive.

"Everything went downhill from there," he said.

Kentucky was competitive in every game that followed, taking LSU, Mississippi State and Tennessee to the wire.

"It was a turning point," Grigsby said. "You wonder why you get beat like that, then you go and look at the film, and you think it could only get better from there."

A year later, the Wildcats have shed what receiver Aaron Boone called "a losing mentality."

"Last year, we looked for confidence through our losses, because we lost a lot of games," said Boone, who leads the team with four touchdown catches. "This year, we've started to remember how bad it is to lose. That's where we're getting confidence.

"Last year, we went into every game hoping we could win, but not knowing if we could win. This year, we think we should win every game we play."

Holtz said Kentucky's confidence starts with Lorenzen, who leads the SEC in passing efficiency and touchdown passes (14).

Not to mention he's 6-foot-4, 275 pounds.

"Trying to sack Lorenzen's like trying to tackle an elephant," Holtz joked. "How do you get him down? Do you grab him by the trunk?"

South Carolina counters with quarterback Corey Jenkins, fourth in the SEC in total offense, averaging 239 yards per game. Jenkins is the league's seventh-best passer (158 yards per game) and its fifth-leading rusher (81 yards per game). Holtz said Jenkins suffered a high ankle sprain in last week's 34-10 win over Mississippi State, but the Wildcats expect to see a lot of him.

"I don't want to say he scares me, but their quarterback, every time he drops back, there's a great chance he's going to run. We can't have him just running all over the field," said Grigsby, who leads the team with eight quarterback hurries.

Holtz said South Carolina's offense is fine until it reaches the red zone. The Gamecocks have botched eight of 26 trips inside their opponents' 20-yard line, fumbling four times, throwing one interception and missing three field goals.

"Our main problem is we haven't been able to score," Holtz said.