Kentucky defeats South Carolina

2020 was a rough season for both the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Kentucky Wildcats for various reasons, so it’s safe to say that both teams weren’t upset to receive a break after Saturday night’s game. Carolina came limping in at 2-7 with interim coach Mike Bobo at the helm, while the Cats entered 3-6. In the end, Kentucky came away with a 41-18 win.

The South Carolina defense was absolutely depleted due to COVID issues and opt outs. Only 16 official players from that side of the ball traveled to Kentucky. The lack of depth showed early on as Kentucky had a 27-3 lead at the half. The blame wasn’t squarely on the defense, however as the Gamecock offense turned the ball over three times in the half on two fumbles and an interception.

Kentucky picked up where they left off to start the second half, scoring on a methodical 13 play drive that took 7:32 off the clock. It was 34-3 Kentucky before the Gamecocks protected the ball a little better and came up with two scoring drives before the final whistle.

Kevin Harris put on a show for South Carolina in the running game, surpassing 200 yards on the night and 1,000 for the season. The true sophomore is an impact player and has been one of the few bright spots in a bleak season for Carolina. Look for Harris to be the focal point of the new offense in 2021.

Kentucky let the Seniors have a lot of the ball on offense. Terry Wilson logged his first 200 passing yard performance since Week 1 at Auburn. A.J. Rose eclipsed the century mark in rushing yards while Josh Ali reeled in five passes. These players played a large role in the rise of Kentucky football’s profile over the last few seasons along with offensive line stalwarts Landon Young, Drake Jackson and Luke Fortner, who also all potentially played their final games in blue and white on Saturday night.

With South Carolina looking to be moving forward with the hire of Shane Beamer as their new head coach, both now teams await potential bowl invitations.