The South Carolina football team defeated Kentucky, 35-13 on Saturday night in their third SEC game this season. The Gamecocks are now 3-2 in the season and 1-2 in the SEC.
On the opening drive of the game, the Wildcats were able to drive down and take a 7-0 lead on their first possession with a 20-yard touchdown run by senior running back Seth McGowan.
"They win the toss, they take the ball, and they run it right down our throats on the first drive and out-physical us in that drive," head coach Shane Beamer said following the game.
South Carolina answered back with a 12-play, 75-yard drive, with graduate running back Rahsul Faison ending the drive with a 12-yard rushing touchdown.
After a 53-yard catch and run on third down by sophomore tight end Willie Rodriguez late in the first quarter, the Wildcats ended the possession drive with a 27-yard field goal by redshirt freshman kicker Jacob Kauwe.
Going into the second quarter, redshirt senior edge Jatius Geer helped the Gamecocks built up momentum with a fumble recovery touchdown. The fumble was caused by sophomore edge Dylan Stewart.
After the Wildcats gained possession back, redshirt freshman quarterback Cutter Boley had his second turnover of the night, as redshirt junior defensive back Gerald Kilgore intercepted his pass and took the interception back for a touchdown, increasing the lead to 21-10.
"We always say, as a defense, tips and over-throws, we gotta get those, and that was just my opportunity to get that," Gerald Kilgore said.
With 2:05 left in the second quarter, Boley threw his second interception of the night to junior defensive back Brandon Cisse, who had his first interception as a Gamecock.
Just before halftime, South Carolina extended their lead with a 6-yard rushing touchdown by Faison to make it 28-10.
Kentucky attempted to make a late touchdown in the first half but senior wide receiver Fred Farrier ll fumbled the lateral, which was recovered by junior defensive back Jalon Kilgore.
Neither team was able to score in the third quarter until the 34 second mark when Kentucky got back on the board with a 42-yard field goal by Kauwe to make it 28-13.
South Carolina began the following drive with a 59-yard pass to redshirt sophomore wide receiver Vandrevius Jacobs from redshirt sophomore quarterback LaNorris Sellers. The Gamecocks completed the eight-play, 84-yard drive with a 1-yard rushing touchdown by redshirt freshman running back Matt Fuller, making the score 35-13.
South Carolina ended the night with a total of 341 yards compared to the Wildcats 232 total yards.
Gamecock defense shines through win
The South Carolina defense got on the scoreboard with back-to-back defensive touchdowns in the second quarter.
Following the game, Geer spoke about Boley as it was his first travel start with the Wildcats.
"No matter if they are a freshman or a senior, I feel like if you get any quarterback off their game and make them uncomfortable, they are bound to make more mistakes," Geer said.
Gerald Kilgore said he felt the defense and team has improved throughout the season so far.
"I don't really feel like we had played a lot of good complementary football. It almost felt like we were fighting against each other," Gerald Kilgore said. "But tonight, we really played complementary football. Everybody helped each other out."
South Carolina senior edge Bryan Thomas Jr. led the defense in tackles, totaling seven: five solo and two sacks, as well as two tackles for loss. Following shortly behind him was sophomore linebacker Fred "JayR" Johnson with a total of six tackles: four solo and one forced fumble.
Run game depth prevails in offensive success
South Carolina ended last Saturday’s game against Missouri with 22 rushing attempts for -9 yards. In this Saturday's game, the Gamecocks totaled 178 yards rushing with four rushers. Sellers led the team in rushing with 14 attempts and 81 yards.
Beamer spoke about Sellers' versatility of running and passing the ball throughout the game.
"He's certainly a weapon. When your quarterback can run the ball like he can and make up for a lot of mistakes, that's a huge thing, and we have got to continue to lean on that," Beamer said.
The Gamecocks showcased a newer face in South Carolina's running back room. Fuller rushed for 19 total attempts, 48 yards and a touchdown.
Following close behind is graduate running back Oscar Adaway lll with seven attempts for 26 yards and Faison with eight attempts for 23 yards and two touchdowns to end the night.
Beamer's win on Saturday night marks his fourth consecutive win against Kentucky.
In 2024, The Gamecocks traveled to Lexington, Ky., to play the Wildcats, which ended in a win for the Gamecocks, 31-6. In the previous year, South Carolina played Kentucky at home, which ended in a fourth-quarter battle resulting in a win for the Gamecocks, 17-14.
In 2022, the Gamecocks traveled to play the Wildcats, ending in a 24-14 victory for the Gamecocks, which was an upset at the time. Kentucky was formerly ranked No. 13 at that point in the season by the AP College Football Poll. 2021 is when Kentucky most recently defeated the Gamecocks, with a score of 16-10 at Williams-Brice in Columbia, S.C.
What’s next?
The South Carolina Gamecocks will travel to Baton Rouge to play the No. 4 LSU Tigers on Saturday, Oct. 11. Kickoff time and streaming sites are yet to be determined.