South Carolina scored two defensive touchdowns in a span of 45 seconds and Rahsul Faison rushed for two more scores as the Gamecocks routed Kentucky, 35-13, Saturday night in Columbia, S.C.
LaNorris Sellers completed 11 of his 14 pass attempts for 153 yards without an interception and rushed 14 times for a team-high 81 yards as South Carolina (3-2, 1-2) snapped a two-game losing streak.
It was a much-needed win for head coach Shane Beamer after the highly touted Gamecocks had reached No. 11 in the AP poll before sustaining back-to-back SEC defeats.
South Carolina grabbed the lead for good in the second quarter when Jatius Geer scored on a 41-yard fumble return. Then, on the Wildcats’ ensuing possession, Gerald Kilgore raced 45 yards with a pick-six to give the Gamecocks a 21-10 lead.
With six sacks, including two by Bryan Thomas Jr., South Carolina rattled Kentucky quarterback Cutter Boley, who was making his first start both on the road and in the SEC.
The redshirt freshman committed the game-changing fumble and threw two interceptions, with all of his turnovers coming in a nightmarish second quarter as South Carolina outscored Kentucky 21-0.
Boley finished with 10 completions in 19 attempts for 124 yards.
Seth McGowan had 112 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries for Kentucky (2-2, 0-2), which lost to South Carolina for the third straight year after winning eight of nine games in the series between 2014 and 2022.
Kentucky started strong, needing just eight plays on its first possession to produce a touchdown. McGowan’s 20-yard scoring burst came just 3:33 into the game.
South Carolina answered on the ensuing possession with a 75-yard drive capped by a 12-yard sprint by Faison that tied it 7-7.
Early in the second quarter, Dylan Stewart jarred the ball loose from Boley on a blitz and Geer picked the ball off the turf and raced 41 yards for a touchdown to give the Gamecocks a 13-10 lead.
Moments later, Kilgore followed with his pick-six.
South Carolina upped its lead to 28-10 after an interception by Brandon Cisse set up a 6-yard touchdown run by Faison.
Matt Fuller added a 1-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter for the Gamecocks.
Vandrevius Jacobs had five catches for 108 yards for South Carolina.
