In a close game at Williams-Brice Stadium, the South Carolina Gamecocks emerged victorious against the Kentucky Wildcats with a final score of 17-14. This win brings South Carolina’s overall record to 5-6, while Kentucky now stands at 6-5. The all-time series between these two teams is now led by South Carolina with a score of 20-14-1.
Kentucky had a strong start to the second half, with a nine-play, 92-yard scoring drive that ended in Ray Davis’ 31-yard rush. This impressive drive gave Kentucky a 14-10 lead in the third quarter. The Wildcats’ defense also stepped up, forcing punts on eight of South Carolina’s final nine possessions.
Quarterback Devin Leary had a solid game, completing 17-of-35 passes for 171 yards and a touchdown. This brings his total number of touchdown passes this season to 20, ranking him second in the SEC. Leary now has an impressive career record of 9,041 passing yards and 81 passing touchdowns.
Running back Ray Davis had a productive game, carrying the ball 12 times for 61 yards and a touchdown. With this touchdown, Davis now has a total of 17 touchdowns this season, tying Moe Williams for second place in school history. He is also closing in on 1,000 rushing yards for the season, needing just 10 more yards to reach the milestone.
Wide receiver Dane Key led the team in receiving with four catches for 51 yards. This performance brings his career receiving yards to 1,047, surpassing the 1,000-yard mark. Another standout receiver was Barion Brown, who caught four passes for 30 yards and extended his streak of games with a reception to 24. He also surpassed 1,000 career receiving yards.
On the defensive side, Deone Walker and D’Eryk Jackson both had a strong game, each recording nine total tackles. Walker also had 2.0 tackles for loss and one sack. The game captains for Kentucky were Kenneth Horsey, Devin Leary, Deone Walker, and Trevin Wallace.
Next up for Kentucky is a highly anticipated match against in-state rival No. 10/9 Louisville for the Governor’s Cup. Kentucky has won the past four meetings between these teams, and kickoff is set for noon with the game being televised on ABC.
