Grading the Gamecocks: Kentucky
The Gamecocks fell again to Kentucky Saturday, dropping the fifth straight in the series in the team's worst loss to the Wildcats since 1999.
They trailed by as much as 21 points and struggled for any consistency on offense, while the Wildcats ran for over 150 first-half yards.
Below GamecockCentral.com handed out some grades and they turned into some of the lowest of the season.
Quarterback: F
That was arguably the worst game of Jake Bentley's career, throwing for just 148 yards and three interceptions. His lone touchdown came on a busted play, a 58-yarder to Deebo Samuel in the third quarter. Excluding that play, he finished with 90 yards passing on 12 completions.
Also see: Josh Low's instant analysis from Saturday's game
Running backs: D
Excluding two Michael Scarnecchia sacks, the total rushing yards on the surface look OK with the Gamecocks rushing for 146 yards, but they did so on 33 carries, which is 4.42 yards per carry. They had a few explosive plays, but in the first half they struggled to find holes consistently.
Wide receivers/tight ends: D+
Against Georgia, the receivers didn't have a great game with a handful of drops. Saturday against another ranked opponent was no different. Will Muschamp estimated the team had six or seven against the Wildcats and no receiver had more than four catches—Shi Smith led the charge—and the lone huge play was Samuel's big catch. Samuel only had three yards receiving outside of that.
Offensive line: D-
Coming into the game as one of the more consistent parts of the Gamecocks' offense, the offensive line struggled against a really good Kentucky defense. They plowed ahead for just over four yards a carry in the run game and gave up a season-high four sacks after allowing three total in the team's first three games.
Also see: Examining some numbers that help tell the story from Saturday's game
Defensive line: F
Kentucky was able to impose its will up front Saturday, especially in the first half where they ran for 168 yards and three touchdowns, averaging almost 6.5 yards per carry. After putting pressure on Kyle Shurmur last week almost all game, the d-line didn't have a sack against the Wildcats and were credited with just one quarterback hurry.
Linebackers: D+
T.J. Brunson finished tied for the team lead with eight tackles, two for loss, but the linebacking group as a whole didn't tackle well. They struggled to bring down Benny Snell and the rest of the Wildcats' backfield once those backs got to the second level.
Also see: Which plays were the most important?
Secondary: D
Terry Wilson completed less than half of his passes for just 132 yards but had a few key third down conversions. The Gamecocks did pick him off once, a Rashad Fenton interception late in the game, but couldn't consistently tackle. Carolina also gave up a few big pass plays down the middle.
Special teams: C+
Joseph Charlton had a solid day punting, averaging 51.7 yards on his three attempts and one of Parker White's field goals was a touchback, which is uncharacteristic of him. White was also 1-for-2 on field goals, getting a 38-yard attempt tipped at the line in the second quarter.
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