Good times: South Carolina upends Kentucky for first SEC win of 2025
South Carolina football got back in the win column on Saturday after a two-week hiatus.
Shane Beamer and the Gamecocks rode explosive plays from the defense to a 35-13 over Kentucky in front of a packed Williams-Brice Stadium. With the win, South Carolina secured its first SEC victory of the season and improved to 3-2 on the year.
“Everything is in front of us: October, November and beyond,” Beamer said. “Tonight was a really good start and certainly a game, let’s be real, we had to have.”
South Carolina’s defense forced four turnovers in the game, but Kentucky was able to move the ball early.
The Wildcats totaled 65 yards on the first drive of the game, 54 of which came on the ground. Kentucky running back Seth McGowan got the Wildcats on the scoreboard first with a 20-yard rushing touchdown.
South Carolina responded with its usual first-drive success. The Gamecocks marched 75 yards down the field and responded with a 12-yard rushing touchdown from Rahsul Faison.
Kentucky ended the first quarter with a 10-7 lead after hitting a 27-yard field goal.
South Carolina’s defense showed no mercy all night to Kentucky and redshirt freshman quarterback Cutter Boley. The Wildcats had five possessions in the second quarter, and each one resulted in a turnover or turnovers on downs. South Carolina forced six sacks in the game and recorded four quarterback hits.
Fellow edge rushers Dylan Stewart and Jatius Geer started the second-quarter defensive onslaught. Stewart hammered Boley into the ground, causing a fumble that Geer scooped up and took 42 yards to the house for a touchdown.
“We did a great job affecting the quarterback,” Geer said. “If you get any quarterback off their game and make them feel uncomfortable, they’re bound to make more mistakes.”
Less than a minute later, a pass from Boley was deflected into the hands of USC safety Gerald Kilgore, who caught intercepted the ball and returned it 41-yard for a touchdown. Suddenly, the Gamecocks were leading 21-10.
“That’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Kilgore said. “I’m just happy I was able to be a part of that play. ... This is a win that we needed.”
USC forced Kentucky to turn the ball over on downs on the Wildcats’ next drive. The Gamecocks couldn’t get anything going and on offense and had to punt. USC defender Brandon Cisse picked off a deep pass from Boley on the next UK drive.
This time around the Gamecocks were able to take advantage and scored five plays later. Faison strolled in from six yards out for his second touchdown of the day to give the Gamecocks a 28-10 lead.
Kentucky tried to get some magic going in the final minute of the first half, but several lateral attempts on a last-second play resulted in a fumble that USC recovered. In all, South Carolina forced four turnovers in the first half.
Things calmed down in the third quarter.
The Gamecocks had 53 yards of offense in the quarter before a 59-yard pass to Vandrevius Jacobs as the clock expired in the period upped the total to 112. Kentucky was the only team to score in the third quarter, making the score 28-13 after a 42-yard field goal. That being said, South Carolina held the Wildcats to just 29 total yards in the quarter.
South Carolina’s offense wasn’t exactly a world-beater on Saturday night. It didn’t need to be, thanks to the defense.
LaNorris Sellers was clinical through the air, finishing with 153 yards on 11 for 14 passing. Sellers targeted Jacobs the most in the game. Jacobs led the team in receiving yards for the third time this season with 108 on five grabs.
South Carolina found some success on the ground against Kentucky. The Gamecocks recorded a season-high 178 yards as a team, an improvement from minus-9 yards last week. Sellers led the team in rushing with 81 yards. Faison finished with 23 yards and was joined in the scoring column by Matt Fuller, who had 48 yards.
Fuller’s touchdown from the one-yard line was the first of his young career and put South Carolina up 35-13 in the fourth quarter.
South Carolina’s defense kept Kentucky under wraps in the fourth quarter to ice the game. The Wildcats had 33 yards of offense in the second half, four of which came in the fourth quarter.
“It’s a lot to build on,” Beamer said. “And we know the month of October doesn’t get any easier, but we’re 3-2 coming out of September. We certainly hoped and expected to be 5-0, and we’re not.”
Next South Carolina football game
Who: South Carolina at LSU
When: Oct. 11, kickoff time is TBD
Where: Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, La.
Watch: TV channel is TBD
This story was originally published September 27, 2025 at 11:06 PM.
