It’s a familiar refrain by coaches these days to talk of players having short memories and a minimal awareness of the past.Take, for example, Kentucky’s preparation for a matchup with LSU last week. Head coach Joker Phillips talked about how many of his players didn’t remember the last time the two teams faced off. The impact of highlighting UK’s upset of No. 1 LSU in 2007 was not as powerful as a result.A week later, Phillips won’t have that same problem. It was 353 days ago that the Kentucky Wildcats notched the biggest win of the Phillips era with a 31-28 defeat of South Carolina. The majority of the players on this year’s UK roster were on the sideline for that game and the same goes for the Gamecocks. The loss was South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier’s first at the hands of a UK team and the Wildcats know he won’t forget it.”They felt like they had the game last year, and we sort of snuck in and took it away from them,” said senior linebacker Ronnie Sneed. “I’m sure Coach Spurrier will definitely have those guys fired up.”UK knows last season’s upset means there is little chance of South Carolina overlooking the Cats, but the upset could also benefit UK. In the midst of three-game losing streak, Wildcat players and coaches have never wavered in their belief that this unit has the ability to produce on the field. However, the boost in confidence from knowing they belong on the field with the Gamecocks could be just what the doctor ordered.Overcoming a 28-10 halftime deficit, the Kentucky defense shut out South Carolina and the offense scored three touchdowns. Junior receiver La’Rod King caught the first of those three touchdowns, one of his two scores on the evening. What positioned him to succeed was believing in his coaches, his teammates and the game plan.”I remember having trust in my coaches, the game plan and making plays,” King said. “When it comes down to it, you have to make the play.”King was one of only two position players on offense to record a catch or carry in the game last year after the departure of Mike Hartline, Randall Cobb, Chris Matthews and Derrick Locke. He knows that has played a role in UK’s offensive struggles, but the coaches have worked hard to overcome it. He is seeing evidence of growth on offense, but it ultimately comes down to the players making plays.”The offensive chemistry has been a little shaky and I think we’re getting that together,” King said. “It’s about the players stepping up to the plate. The coaches can only coach.”Recalling how effective UK was on offense last season against South Carolina could help the players go from knowing they are good enough to execute to actually executing on a consistent basis. The Cats, though, know these two teams are different from 2010.”There’s a lot of confidence going into this game being that we were able to get the win over them last year, but they’re still a great team,” safety Martavius Neloms. “We’re going to have to prepare hard and forget about what we did last year because it’s a whole new year.”Neloms registered six tackles against South Carolina in 2010, but has since moved from corner to safety. He now has responsibilities in both the run and pass game, but Neloms thinks South Carolina will rely heavily on sophomore running back Marcus Lattimore, at least to begin with.”They’re a very versatile team so I think they’re going to come out and try to pound the ball since they have a great running back in Lattimore,” Neloms said. “If we prove we can stop it, they’ll try to air it out a little bit.”Lattimore scored three first half touchdowns against UK before missing the second half due to an ankle injury. His reputation is as a gifted runner, but Lattimore caught four passes for 133 yards against the Cats.”He’s a little freak of nature,” senior linebacker Danny Trevathan said. “I remember he got hurt in the second quarter of our game. I remember him catching little swing routes on us and running towards the house.”As dangerous as Lattimore may be, focusing on him alone could be dangerous. South Carolina will reportedly make a change at quarterback and start sophomore Connor Shaw over senior Stephen Garcia, but Alshon Jeffery and his fellow wide receivers will need to be accounted for no matter who is throwing passes to them.”They have great players,” Neloms said. “You can’t focus on any particular player. You have to take it one play at a time and do your best.”Lattimore, Jeffery and the entire South Carolina offense should be ready to go in front of a boisterous home crowd, but a few trick players drawn up by Spurrier can never be ruled out.”He always has a few of them in his holster that he’ll pull out,” Phillips said. “We just have to make sure that our guys are playing their responsibilities and that’s the biggest thing. If you play your responsibilities, you won’t get fooled by tricks.”