LEXINGTON, Ky. — It is three wins in a row for South Carolina football over Kentucky, the same number of passes Wildcats’ quarterback Brock Vandagriff completed all day.
In one of the most dominant defensive displays you will ever find in an SEC match-up, South Carolina completely stymied Kentucky at Kroger Field to win the SEC opener for the first time since 2017 and start 2-0 overall for the first time since 2021. The final score of 31-6 was every bit as reflective of the game flow on a breezy bluegrass afternoon, and the defense set the tone immediately.
After South Carolina (2-0, 1-0 SEC) won the coin toss, Shane Beamer elected to put his defense on the field first.
Statement made.
The Gamecocks forced a punt to start the game and then after doing so again on the second possession, the offense took advantage with a quick strike drive. It took four snaps for South Carolina to move 61 yards and break the scoring seal, capped off by Mazeo Bennett Jr.’s first career touchdown when he found himself wide open on a coverage bust and went into the end zone untouched.
His 24-yard touchdown was the first and only touchdown for either team in the first half as the game dissolved into the typical slogs these two teams have become accustomed to playing. The Gamecocks recorded six tackles for loss in the first quarter alone, preventing Kentucky from moving the ball at all. Dylan Stewart and Kyle Kennard picked up right where they left off last week off the edge, and even Vicari Swain recorded a sack off a corner blitz to thwart a possession.
The only downer on the entire game for South Carolina was an injury to LaNorris Sellers late in the first quarter, what Beamer called a “lower body injury” on the broadcast after a crunching tackle as he was releasing a pass. Sellers missed one quarter of game time, but Robby Ashford stepped in and held his own, leading one field goal drive and avoiding any big mistakes until Sellers could return.
Kentucky (1-1, 0-1 SEC) tacked on two field goals on consecutive drives to end the first half, one on a possession where it ran the ball all 11 snaps and the other off a Sellers interception.
With a 10-6 halftime score, it felt like 20 points might have been enough for either team to win it.
Even that was shooting too high.
What followed was the definition of a defensive takeover, a game where South Carolina’s defensive line massacred Kentucky’s offensive line at every turn. Vandagriff rarely ever had a clean pocket, and his running backs had no more success.
In one of the more staggering statistics of the young season, Kentucky’s offense picked up negative-11 yards of offense in the third quarter.
Sooner or later the dam was going to break offensively, and it did. Sellers connected with Joshua Simon for the first touchdown of the second half, Rocket Sanders made two defenders miss with a six-yard score late in the third quarter, and then on the opening snap of the third quarter, the dagger.
Nick Emmanwori scooped up a wayward Vandagriff pass and returned it 24 yards for a pick-six right in front of the remaining vestiges of a hurriedly emptying home student section.
By the time Emmanwori crossed the goal line to make it 31-6, it was completely empty.
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