South Carolina beats Kentucky soundly in all phases to record stunning blowout win

What was billed as the biggest game on schedule sure looked like a one-sided fight. A potential 50/50 game in the preseason turned into a matchup where Kentucky looked two possessions better on paper. But the home team wasn’t the program that sent a message in the first SEC game of the season.

South Carolina 31, Kentucky 6. It honestly felt like a bigger margin than 25 points.

Shane Beamer‘s squad looked like the better team from the jump and put their foot on the gas in the second half to record their third consecutive victory in this series. Now we’re left to pick up the pieces in the most surprising loss of the Mark Stoops era.

Live from the Kroger Field press box, KSR has your instant Week 2 takeaways. The Gamecocks beat the Wildcats soundly in all three phases.

Kentucky could not handle South Carolina’s defensive front

Entering the Week 2 matchup, the one area where South Carolina appeared to have a clear edge against Kentucky was in the trenches on defense. The Gamecocks have a very experienced defensive front, and true freshman Dylan Stewart looks like a potential superstar.

Eric Wolford‘s offensive line had no answers at Kroger Field while dealing with multiple injuries. Starting left guard Jager Burton and starting right tackle Gerald Mincey missed multiple series throughout the game, but I’m not sure that mattered that much.

South Carolina produced a 23.8 percent havoc rate in 63 defensive snaps with 11 tackles for loss, two interceptions, and two forced fumbles. The defensive front controlled the football game.

On Kentucky’s first scoring opportunity after a big completion to Dane Key, the Gamecocks recorded three consecutive tackles for loss and back-to-back sacks on second and third down. That was a sign of things to come. Due to the inability to block, we saw the penalties pile up in the second half, and quarterback Brock Vandagriff appeared to be rattled for most of the game.

Eventually, the dam broke when a Nick Emmanwori 24-yard pick-six put the road team up 31-6.

That's six 😤🤙 pic.twitter.com/U47MJ2gXqO

— Gamecock Football (@GamecockFB) September 7, 2024

The game ended with Kentucky not scoring a touchdown in 12 possessions, and without the one long field goal drive, there was not a single possession that gained 40 yards.

South Carolina dominated the game on defense.

Kentucky cannot get off the field in key situations

When you pull up the game box score, the numbers are not terrible for the defense. South Carolina only produced 252 yards on offense, the Wildcats recorded 12 tackles for loss in 50 snaps, forced two fumbles, and recorded an interception.

But the unit could not get key stops in the second half with the game in the balance.

Holding a 10-6 lead, South Carolina faced a third-and-14 at the Kentucky 48 with under eight minutes left in the third quarter, a scramble and coverage bust led to a 32-yard completion from LaNorris Sellers to Mazeo Bennett Jr. down the left sideline.

One play later, South Carolina took a 17-6 lead.

After a quick stop by South Carolina, Kentucky found itself in a bad spot, but the defense had an opportunity to hold down the fort and keep the team in the game, but that evaporated after another third-and-long was converted.

On third-and-11 at the Kentucky 44 with just over three minutes left in the third quarter, Sellers found Jared Brown on the right sideline for 13 yards to move the chains and keep the drive alive. That possession ended in the paint, and South Carolina took a 24-6 lead with 28 seconds left in the third quarter.

The defense is the best unit on the Kentucky football team, but the group did not deliver with the game in the balance in the third quarter. Third down defense was a point of emphasis for the program this offseason, but the Cats came up short in some key situations on Saturday.

South Carolina’s kicking game created short fields

South Carolina’s three offensive touchdown drives started at their own 39, own 42, and the Kentucky 43. South Carolina’s field goal drive started at the Kentucky 31. The defense set up the field goal with a turnover on downs, but special teams played a big role in setting up the short fields.

Kai Kroeger averaged over 51 yards per punt on five attempts. Wilson Berry averaged 43.3 yards per punt. Kentucky received six kickoff return opportunities but were unable to pop a big return. Fielding punts was an issue, and the Wildcats struggled to block on kickoff return.

The offense did not play much complementary football, but the special teams unit lost the head-to-head battle against South Carolina. That led to a plus-9 advantage in average starting field position (own 36 to own 27) and ultimately helped create multiple short fields for an offense that struggled in Week 1.