Kentucky at South Carolina
Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, SC
Sept. 25, 2021
FINAL SCORE: Kentucky 16, South Carolina 10
FINAL SCORE: Kentucky 16, South Carolina 10
Team Records and Series Information
- Kentucky is 4-0 overall 2-0 in the Southeastern Conference. South Carolina is 2-2, 0-2 in the SEC.
- UK is 4-0 for the second time under Coach Mark Stoops, also 2018.
- In the last 20 seasons UK also has been 4-0 in 2002, 2007 and 2008.
- UK is 2-0 in the SEC for first time since 2018 and only the second time since 1977.
- South Carolina leads the series, 18-14-1, although UK has won seven of the last eight.
- Next for Kentucky: UK returns to Lexington for a two-game homestand.
- On Saturday, October 2, the Wildcats will play host to Florida. Game time will be 6 p.m. and will be announced following results of today’s games.
Team Notes
- Kentucky has moved above .500 all-time, for the first time since 2012, with an all-time mark of 633-632-44.
- Since 2016, UK is 18-7 in games decided by seven points or less. UK has won its last five in a row in this category, including the last three games this season.
- The last time UK won three-straight games by seven points or less was 1933 when the Wildcats had consecutive close wins over Sewanee, Georgia Tech and Cincinnati.
- Kentucky has won an SEC road game for the seventh straight season, extending the school record for most consecutive seasons with a league road win.
- Kentucky defensive notes:
- Limited South Carolina to 51 total plays
- Limited South Carolina to 58 net rushing yards, just 2.2 yards per attempt. USC’s longest run was 10 yards.
- Limited South Carolina to 216 total yards.
- Limited South Carolina to 3 of 12 on third-down conversions and 0 of 3 on fourth down.
- Second time in the last five games that UK has shut out an opponent in the first half, also the Gator Bowl win over North Carolina State.
- UK rushed for 230 yards. In its two SEC wins this season, UK has averaged 285 yards rushing (also 340 vs. Missouri).
- Kentucky has scored touchdowns on its first possession the last three games.
Coach Mark Stoops
- Tonight’s win gave Coach Mark Stoops his 26thSoutheastern Conference win, breaking the school record of 25 by Fran Curci. Stoops is 7-2 vs. South Carolina.
- This was Stoops’ 53rd win as UK head coach. Paul “Bear” Bryant holds the school record with 60 victories.
- Stoops is now 53-50 at Kentucky. After two games of the 2016 season, his record was 12-26 but has gone 41-24 (.631) since.
- Coach Stoops is in his ninth season as head coach of the Wildcats, tying Fran Curci (1973-81) for most seasons as head coach at UK.
- Stoops holds the UK record for games coached (103).
Player Notes
· Junior quarterback Will Levis completed 15 of 22 for 102 yards.
- He added five carries for 30 yards, including an 18-yard scamper on the first possession of the second half that set up a field goal.
- (if win) With starting lineups available since 1993, he is the third quarterback since that time to win his first four starts – also Terry Wilson (2018) and Mike Hartline (2008).
· Junior running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. rushed 26 times for 144 yards, an average of 5.5 per carry.
- This is his third 100-yard game of the season, ninth of his career.
- He has 1,883 career rushing yards, moving past Anthony White, Derrick Ramsey and Marc Logan into 11th place in school history.
· Junior running back Kavosiey Smoke carried the ball nine times for 50 yards and UK’s only touchdown.
- He scored on a 15-yard run on the game’s opening possession, his first touchdown of the season and ninth of his career.
- He has 1,032 career rushing yards, becoming the 41st player in school history with 1,000.
· Junior wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson led the receivers with seven catches for 65 yards.
· Senior wide receiver Josh Ali caught four passes for 14 yards.
- He has 1,079 career receiving yards.
· Senior linebacker DeAndre Square led the Wildcats with eight tackles.
- In the second quarter, with South Carolina having the ball on the UK 47-yard line, he made consecutive stops for no gain on 3rd-and-1 and 4th-and-1 to turn over the ball on downs.
· Sophomore cornerback Carrington Valentine made four tackles, including a seven-yard quarterback sack that forced a punt. It is the first sack of his career.
· Sophomore linebacker J.J. Weaver made two tackles, including a quarterback sack.
- He has made at least one TFL in each of the first four games.
· Senior defensive end Josh Paschal three tackles and a quarterback hurry.
- On South Carolina’s final two plays, he forced an incompletion with a quarterback hurry on second down; on third and long, he made a hustling tackle to limit the scrambling quarterback to a four-yard gain, forcing a field-goal attempt.
· Playing in front of his hometown fans, sophomore safety Jalen Geiger made two tackles, including one for loss. The TFL came on USC’s final possession and helped forced a field goal.
· Senior kicker Matt Ruffolo made all three of his field goal attempts, a 43-yarder on the final play of the first half and a 21-yarder of UK’s first possession of the second half, and a clutch 27-yarder that gave UK a two-score lead in the fourth quarter.
- Ruffolo is now 20 of 24 in his career (83.3 percent, second in UK history).
· Sophomore defensive tackle Octavious Oxendine made his first collegiate start.
· Game captains for today were Josh Paschal, Marquan McCall, Luke Fortner and Will Levis.