Big Blue Preview: Kentucky at South Carolina
Info to Know
| Kentucky at South Carolina | When: Sat., Oct. 3, 4:15 p.m. ET | Where: Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, S.C. | TV: SEC Network | Radio: UK Sports Network |
Preview
No. 24 Kentucky hits the road in the Southeastern Conference for the second time this season, travelling to Columbia, South Carolina, to face the homestanding South Carolina Gamecocks.
Kentucky (3-1, 1-1 SEC) won at then-ninth-ranked Texas A&M two weeks ago in its first conference road outing. Last week, UK had three backs (C.J. Baxter, Jason Patterson and Javonte Barnes) rush for 100 yards or more in a win over South Alabama.
South Carolina (2-2, 0-2) opened the season with easy wins over Kent State and Towson. However, the Gamecocks have lost back-to-back conference games to Mississippi State and Alabama.
The Gamecocks have won four in a row in the series.
Cat Scratches: Stein, Cats Use ‘Preparation and Practice’ to Get Ready for Road Contests
On its first road trip of the season, the Kentucky football team was successful, topping then-ninth-ranked Texas A&M at Kyle Field.
On Tuesday, Kentucky head coach Will Stein noted that the success his team had at A&M was not accidental.
“I go back to our preparation and our practice and what we do on a day-by-day basis to get our guys ready for these moments,” Stein said. “You try not to make it bigger that what it is. It’s still a football game and if you let the crowd or the atmosphere dictate how you play, I think that’s when you can become emotional. You’re not focused. You become very distracted.”
Stein believes that the stress that he and his staff can create in practice can prepare the Cats for any road environment, including the one at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina, where the Cats will face the homestanding Gamecocks this weekend…Read More
Week Five: South Carolina
The Series
• South Carolina leads the all-time series, 22-13-1.
• The Gamecocks also lead, 11-5-1, in Columbia.
• UK’s last on-field win in Columbia was in 2021 by a 16-10 score. (The win was later vacated by the NCAA. The last official win in Columbia was in 2017, 23-13.)
• South Carolina has won four straight in the series, including a 35-13 triumph in Columbia a season ago.
• Prior to the four-game winning streak by the Gamecocks, UK had won seven of eight from 2014-21.
• The two teams first met in 1937, but then didn’t play again until 1978.
• The teams began playing annually in 1992 when Carolina joined the SEC.
• This is just the second time in the series’ history that the teams will play in the same city in consecutive matchups since Lexington hosted the 1981 date and then the 1992 contest which began the annual meeting.
In The Last Meeting
• The Gamecocks earned a 35-13 win in Columbia, a season ago.
• Cutter Boley, making his first start against an SEC opponent, was 10 of 19 through the air for 124 yards.
• Kentucky jumped out to a fast 10-0 lead in the first quarter behind a 20-yard rushing touchdown from Seth McGowan and a field goal. However, the game flipped completely in the second quarter when South Carolina’s defense scored two touchdowns just three plays apart.
• South Carolina won the turnover battle 4-0, proving the difference in the game.
The Connections
• South Carolina defensive back Quay’sheed Scott was a two-year player for the Wildcats. He played in 23 total games and made 12 starts for UK, while tallying 45 tackles and one interception.
• Additionally the Gamecocks’ defensive tackle, Tomiwa Durojaiye, spent his freshman season with the Cats where he saw action in three games.
• UK head coach Will Stein and South Carolina associate head coach/running backs coach Stan Drayton were both on the Texas staff together from 2018-19. Drayton was the Longhorns’ running backs coach and Stein was an offensive analyst.
• Three UK players hail from the state of South Carolina – offensive lineman Jordan Knox, tight end Mikkel Skinner and running back Ahmir Smith.
By the Numbers
2
Interceptions for Jordan Castell, the most on the team through four games
3
Running backs who rushed for 100 yards vs. South Alabama, the first time in school history three RBs have accomplished the feat in a single game
5
UK has had five different players rush for 100 or more yards in a single game since the start of 2025. Only two FBS teams(Army and Rice with 6) have had more
8
Touchdown passes for Kenny Minchey through four games
226
Yards receiving for freshman Kenny Darby, which is the best on the team and the most among freshmen in the SEC
