LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — If Kentucky was going to spark any real enthusiasm for the rest of its season, it needed to happen here.
On the road against a vulnerable South Carolina team that hadn’t won an SEC game, the Wildcats jumped to a 7-0 lead. They had momentum. They had freshman quarterback Cutter Boley making a second-straight start in place of Zach Calzada. They even had the Gamecocks on their heels.
Then they had one awful minute — and the game was gone.
A strip sack turned scoop-and-score. A tipped pass picked off and returned 45 yards for a touchdown by Gerald Kilgore just 46 seconds later. From 10-7 up to 21-10 down in the blink of an eye. The Gamecocks rolled from there to a 35-13 win, dropping Kentucky to 2-2 overall and 0-2 in the SEC.
And suddenly, things feel ominous.
Because if you’re not competitive at South Carolina, then what are the odds against Georgia, Texas and Tennessee, who all loom in the next three weeks? Even a close loss would’ve felt more hopeful. If not for Arkansas, a last-place SEC finish could be in the window. And the Wildcats could be right there with the Razorbacks.
Kentucky just lost its seventh straight SEC game. It has lost 11 of its past 12 in the league. Kentucky stat guru Corey Price says that's the school's longest SEC losing streak since 17 straight from September 2012 to September 2014. Bush Hamdan has been offensive coordinator for 10 SEC games. Kentucky hasn't had more than two touchdowns in any of them.
The Wildcats tried to steady themselves, but once South Carolina was up double digits, the Wildcats had few answers. Bright spots? Kentucky outgained South Carolina 141-89 in the first quarter. Seth McGowan ran hard all night, finishing with 112 yards on 17 carries. Tight end Willie Rodriguez had a couple of nice catches.
But Boley was sacked six times, intercepted twice, and fumbled twice — one of which Jatius Geer returned for a touchdown. That sequence was the game. The Wildcats were never closer than 11 points again.
South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers was efficient and elusive, going 11-for-14 for 153 yards and rushing for 81 more. But he didn’t have to win the game. His defense did that.
Kentucky finished with just 229 yards of total offense and converted only 5 of 13 third downs. It never reached the end zone after its opening drive.
Even Mark Stoops had a stumble — literally — tripping over a sideline marker while trying to dodge a play in the first half. It was a harmless fall.
His team’s stumble, though, feels harder to recover from.
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