South Carolina vs. Kentucky recap: USC defeats Wildcats 35-13
The South Carolina Gamecocks (3-2, 1-2 SEC) defeated the Kentucky Wildcats (2-2, 0-2 SEC) 35-13 on Saturday at Williams-Brice Stadium as both teams seek their first Southeastern Conference win of the season. Here are the key plays and moments from the game:
South Carolina vs. Kentucky score updates
First quarter
Kentucky 7, South Carolina 0: The Wildcats struck first on the opening drive of the game, which went 65 yards in eight plays and just under four minutes. Seth McGowan capped the drive with a 20-yard rush for the score.
South Carolina 7, Kentucky 7: USC responded with an opening-drive score of its own, going 75 yards in 12 plays. Rahsul Faison found the end zone on a 12-yard carry. The Gamecocks converted on a fourth-down attempt during the drive.
Kentucky 10, South Carolina 7: UK drove down to within the USC 10-yard line, but sputtered out in part due to the Gamecocks pass rush forcing Wildcats QB Cutter Boley to scramble on third down. Kentucky settled for a 27-yard field goal for the lead.
Second quarter
South Carolina 14, Kentucky 10: On Kentucky’s third drive, the Gamecocks would be the side to finish with a score. Dylan Stewart sacked Boley to force a fumble, which Jatius Geer scooped and scored to give USC the lead.
South Carolina 21, Kentucky 10: The Gamecocks doubled up on defensive touchdowns after Gerald Kilgore ran back a 45-yard pick-six to extend the USC lead.
South Carolina 28, Kentucky 10: Following an interception by Brandon Cisse, USC had a free 2-minute drill with a chance to extend the lead. It succeeded, going 43 yards down the field and scoring on a 6-yard rush from Faison, his second of the game.
Third quarter
South Carolina 28, Kentucky 13: The Wildcats notched the first points of the second half on a 42-yard field goal. UK started at the USC 39-yard line but could only muster 15 yards in seven plays.
Fourth quarter
South Carolina 35, Kentucky 13: Running back Matthew Fuller scored his first touchdown of the season on a 1-yard rush which capped off a eight-play, 84-yard drive for the Gamecocks to extend their lead late.
Markee Anderson injured
The offensive lineman went down during an extra-point attempt and was brought, limping, to the medical tent. He remained on the sideline after exiting the tent. Anderson later returned to the game, but went down again in the fourth quarter.
Thomas, Brownlow-Dindy injured
Defensive linemen Bryan Thomas Jr. and Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy both went down on the same play early in the second quarter. Both were able to come off the field on their own power. Neither went directly to the medical tent.
Celebrity starter
Former Gamecocks quarterback Connor Shaw was the celebrity starter pregame. Shaw, 34, was hospitalized last Wednesday after collapsing on the sideline of his son’s youth football game. Shaw was released from Prisma Health Greenville Memorial Hospital last Saturday after a stint in the ICU.
Final injury report
Offensive linemen Nolan Hay and Cason Henry were ruled out in Thursday’s SEC availability report. Safety DQ Smith was taken off the availability report Thursday after being originally listed as questionable Wednesday, meaning he’s available for the game.
South Carolina’s injury report was finalized a day early on Friday when defensive back Buddy Mack III was ruled out and fellow DB Judge Collier was removed from the availability report after starting the week as questionable. Defensive lineman Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy was also upgraded to available after appearing as doubtful in the original report. USC’s pre-kickoff report Saturday remained unchanged.
Collier is available for the first time since he went down with a knee injury in the first half of the season opener against Virginia Tech.
Uniform combo
The Gamecocks are wearing black helmets, black jerseys and white pants, per the team’s X/Twitter account.
Gamecock captains
Brandon Cisse, Vandrevius Jacobs, LaNorris Sellers and Bryan Thomas Jr. were named captains Friday night. Sellers returns to his captaincy after he was excluded from the list before USC’s 29-20 loss to Missouri. His availability for the game was in question due to a head injury, but the third-year quarterback was eventually ruled available and started for the Gamecocks.
South Carolina vs. Kentucky betting odds
USC opened as 6-point favorites against Kentucky, according to the VegasInsider consensus line. The line moved to -5.5 points in favor of the Gamecocks early Saturday afternoon. ESPN’s Analytics’ matchup predictor gave USC a 57.8% chance to win.
Watch the Gamecocks play today
Who: South Carolina (2-2, 0-2 SEC) vs. Kentucky (2-1, 0-1 SEC)
When: 7:45 p.m. Saturday
Where: Williams-Brice Stadium (Columbia, SC)
TV: SEC Network
Stream: ESPN.com or the ESPN app
Broadcast crew: Tom Hart, Jordan Rodgers and Cole Cubelic
Local radio: 107.5 FM in the Columbia area. See affiliates here. (Todd Ellis, Tommy Suggs, Chet Tucker)
National radio: Elite Media Radio (Mike Morgan and Chuck Oliver)
Satellite radio: SiriusXM Channel 190 or 374
Series history: South Carolina leads 21-14-1 (last game played in 2024).
This story was originally published September 27, 2025 at 7:03 PM.
