" A band of brothers came to Columbia, South Carolina for the win," said head coach Will Stein after his overtime thriller.
Kentucky Football embraced being the storm in the land of "Sandstorm." The 24th-ranked Kentucky Football team once again played two very different halves; this time, it leaked into extra football in Williams-Brice Stadium.
South Carolina started with the ball and ran all over the Wildcats. Maroon ran for 14 unanswered points. The first-quarter offense showed a stark difference: UK had 28 all-purpose yards, while the Gamecocks had 156 and two touchdowns.
In the second quarter, Kentucky would finally come alive after a 29-yard field goal and a 17-0 lead by the Gamecocks. CJ Baxter ran the first six points for the Wildcats! And before closing out the half, Terhyon Nichols nearly hauled in an interception, and Sam Greene got to USC's LaNorris Sellers to force the Gamecocks into a three-and-out.
From 42 yards out, Adam Zouagui would hit the field goal to bring Kentucky to 10. Going into the break, the Gamecocks had a healthy 20-10 lead.
In the first half, Kentucky struggled to even set up for a first down and, out of the break, went 2/2. Kenny Minchey and Willie Rodriguez found a winning formula, connecting to move the chains. The drive ended with a 17-yard touchdown pass to Kenny Darby; Cats trail, 17-20.
A Nic Anderson touchdown would give Kentucky its first lead of the day, 24-20. Kentucky returned the favor with 14 unanswered points in the third quarter.
The fourth quarter would start with Blue's first three-and-out of the second half. USC's Sellers would break free and run three-quarters of the football field before being stopped by Ty Bryant. He'd set his team up for a touchdown and a narrow lead, 27-24.
Zouagui would hit another field goal to tie it at 27. With 18 seconds left, South Carolina jumped offside, and Kentucky worked from a first down at the USC 39. The Cats don't get the ball off in time; regulation ends tied at 27.
OVERTIME
In six plays, the Gamecocks would score. Sellers over the middle to Maurice Brown II. The extra point was good, 34-27. On the other end, Kenny Minchey to Henry Boyer for one under. Minchey to Rodriguez sealed it in the two-point conversion!
Wildcats win, 35-34.
Minchey threw for 28 completions on 41 attempts, 272 yards, and three touchdowns. Darby set a freshman record for most receptions in a single game, catching 12 for 95 yards and one touchdown. Minchey had seven receivers for 272 yards. CJ Baxter led the team in rushing with 48 yards and one touchdown.
Defensively, Grant Godfrey led total tackles with nine and recorded one sack, one QB hurry and 1.5 tackles for loss. Bryant and Nichols followed with eight apiece.
Kentucky improves to 4-1 (2-1 SEC) and looks to host LSU Saturday, Oct. 10 at 7 p.m. for Homecoming. The game is broadcast on ESPN.
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