South Carolina vs. Kentucky: Kickoff time, TV channel, injury report, odds
South Carolina is looking to get back in the win column.
Shane Beamer and the Gamecocks return home to Williams-Brice Stadium this weekend coming off a 29-20 loss to a ranked Missouri team.
South Carolina faces off with SEC rival Kentucky on Saturday. The Gamecocks have had the Wildcats’ number since Beamer took over the program. USC currently has a three-game win streak in the series and hasn’t lost at home to Kentucky since 2021.
Here’s everything you need to know about Saturday’s game:
South Carolina vs. Kentucky, TV info
- Who: South Carolina vs. Kentucky
- When: 7:45 p.m. Saturday
- Where: Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina
- TV: SEC Network (The game will begin on ESPNEWS and SEC Network Plus until the previous game on SEC Network ends.)
- Stream: ESPN.com or the ESPN app
- Broadcast crew: Tom Hart, Jordan Rodgers, Cole Cubelic
- Local radio: 107.5 FM in the Columbia area. See affiliates here. (Todd Ellis, Tommy Suggs, Chet Tucker)
- Satellite radio: SiriusXM Channel 106 or 190
- Series history: South Carolina leads 21-14-1 (last game played in 2024)
South Carolina vs Kentucky betting odds
South Carolina is a slight favorite in the game on Saturday. The Gamecocks opened as a 6-point favorite but are now 5.5-point favorites, according to the VegasInsider consensus line.
The Gamecocks are 2-1 against the spread this year.
Injury updates
South Carolina had five players listed on the latest SEC student-athlete availability report on Thursday.
Defensive back Judge Collier and defensive lineman Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy were both listed as probable. . Defensive back Buddy Mack III was listed as doubtful. Offensive linemen Nolan Hay and Cason Henry are out and won’t play.
Defensive back DQ Smith, considered questionable on Wednesday, was not listed on Thursday’s report.
The SEC injury report will be updated daily up until 90 minutes before kickoff Saturday.
Weather forecast for Columbia
It’ll be generally cloudy and humid with on Saturday with some scattered showers and thunderstorms though any rain should be gone by kickoff, per AccuWeather.
Fans might get rained on during prime tailgating time but the temperature will stick around 80 degrees in the hours leading up to kickoff. Expect a mid-70s feel around kickoff at 7:45 p.m. before the temperature hovers around 70 for the remainder of the game, per AccuWeather’s hourly forecast.
Top storylines of the game
Improvement needed on the ground: Saying South Carolina’s offensive struggled to get things going in the run game last week against Missouri is putting it lightly. The Gamecocks gained 39 rushing yards but sacks and negative plays put their total for the game at negative nine yards. South Carolina is last in the SEC in total rushing yards (321) and rushing yards per game (80.25). The Gamecocks have found some success despite their struggles in the run game, but being able to run the ball would certainly make things easier for South Carolina.
Missed tackles: Beamer has been frustrated by the defense’s missed tackles in the last two losses to Vanderbilt and Missouri. The Gamecocks missed 10 against the Commodores and 16 against the Tigers, per Pro Football Focus. South Carolina has missed 44 tackles this year, per PFF. The Gamecocks’ PFF tackling grade against Missouri was a season-low 44.6. Players and coaches have stressed that fixing the tackling issues has been an emphasis in practice.
Get ready for a slug fest: Beamer said he’s expecting a battle in the game, and based on the series’ recent history he’s correct in that assumption. Last year’s matchup was a 10-6 game going into halftime before the Gamecocks exploded for 21 unanswered points in the second half. Since 2016 (taking out the 2020 matchup) neither team has scored more than 24 points on offense in the game.
It only gets tougher from here: You can argue that every game any team plays is a “must-win” game. South Carolina certainly isn’t out of contention for a bowl game yet, but a win over Kentucky would certainly help its odds. A win over Kentucky would make South Carolina 3-2 going into a bye week. After the time off the Gamecocks will face five Top 25 teams in a row in LSU, Oklahoma, Alabama, Ole Miss and Texas A&M. South Carolina will need to find a way to get a few wins out of that gauntlet if it wants to play postseason football.
South Carolina and Kentucky players to watch
South Carolina QB LaNorris Sellers: Despite the loss, Sellers had his best statistical game of the season last week against Missouri. Sellers was 18-for-28 through the air for a season-high 302 yards and two touchdowns. He’s thrown for over 300 yards three times in his career, two of those were against Missouri.
South Carolina WR Vandrevius Jacobs: Jacobs put up the best game of his career against Missouri. He was targeted a team-high eight times and caught seven passes for 128 yards, a career-high mark in both categories. Jacobs also scored on a 49-yard touchdown pass.
Kentucky QB Cutter Boley: The keys of the Kentucky offense have been given to redshirt freshman Cutter Boley ahead of Saturday’s matchup. Boley replaced an injured Calzada in Week 3 and was named the starter on Monday coming off Kentucky’s bye week. Boley threw for 240 yards and 2 touchdowns in his first start of the year against Eastern Michigan.
Kentucky RB Seth McGowan: The Oklahoma transfer — by way of New Mexico State and Butler CC — has made an immediate impact for Kentucky. McGowan has rushed for 275 yards in three games (No. 8 in the SEC) and is tied for second in the conference with six rushing touchdowns. Beamer said he’s a physical back who “runs with violence.”
South Carolina 2025 schedule
Early = Noon to 1 p.m. ET start; Afternoon: 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. start; Flex: Games flexed between the Afternoon (3:30-4:30 p.m.) and Night (6-8 p.m.) windows.
- Aug. 31: South Carolina beats Virginia Tech 24-11
- Sept. 6: South Carolina beats S.C. State 38-10
- Sept. 13: Vanderbilt beats South Carolina 31-7
- Sept. 20: Missouri beats South Carolina 29-20
- Sept. 27 vs. Kentucky - 7:45 p.m. (SEC Network)
- Oct. 11 at No. 9 Louisiana State - TBD/Flex
- Oct. 18 vs. No. 18 Oklahoma - TBD/Early
- Oct. 25 vs. No. 8 Alabama - TBD/Flex
- Nov. 1 at No. 21 Ole Miss - TBD/Flex
- Nov. 15 at No. 19 Texas A&M - TBD/Early
- Nov. 22 vs. Coastal Carolina - TBD/Afternoon
- Nov. 29 vs. No. 4 Clemson - Noon (ABC or ESPN)
This story was originally published September 26, 2025 at 7:00 AM.
