Oct. 5, 2014
Final Stats | Photo Gallery 1 
| Photo Gallery 2 | Post-Game Notes 
| Post-Game Quotes
| SCORE BY QUARTERS | |||||
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Total |
| South Carolina | 7 | 10 | 14 | 7 | 38 |
| Kentucky | 0 | 17 | 7 | 21 | 45 |
| VIDEO COVERAGE | |||||
| Coach Spurrier | |||||
| Coach Ward | |||||
| Dylan Thompson | Mike Davis | ||||
| Pharoh Cooper | Sharrod Golightly | ||||
| TEAM STAT COMPARISON | |||||
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| 1st Downs | 32 | 22 | |||
| Total Yards | 500 | 447 | |||
| Passing | 218 | 208 | |||
| Rushing | 282 | 239 | |||
| Penalties-Yards | 3-35 | 8-80 | |||
| 3rd Down Conversions | 9-15 | 5-10 | |||
| 4th Down Conversions | 1-1 | 0-0 | |||
| Turnovers | 3 | 1 | |||
| Time of Possession | 34:20 | 25:40 | |||
| PASSING LEADERS | |||||
| South Carolina | COM | ATT | YDS | TD | INT |
| Dylan Thompson | 23 | 37 | 218 | 1 | 3 |
| Kentucky | COM | ATT | YDS | TD | INT |
| Patrick Towles | 20 | 29 | 208 | 1 | 0 |
| RUSHING LEADERS | |||||
| South Carolina | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LG |
| Mike Davis | 23 | 183 | 8.0 | 3 | 40 |
| Shon Carson | 4 | 37 | 9.2 | 1 | 25 |
| Kentucky | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LG |
| Jojo Kemp | 17 | 131 | 7.7 | 3 | 43 |
| Braylon Heard | 6 | 67 | 11.2 | 1 | 38 |
| RECEIVING LEADERS | |||||
| South Carolina | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LG |
| Pharoh Cooper | 6 | 83 | 13.8 | 1 | 24 |
| Nick Jones | 5 | 32 | 6.4 | 0 | 10 |
| Kentucky | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LG |
| Ryan Timmons | 5 | 61 | 12.2 | 1 | 48 |
| Javess Blue | 3 | 39 | 13.0 | 0 | 19 |
| SCORING SUMMARY | |||||
| 1st Quarter | SC | UK | |||
|
TD | 07:04 | Mike Davis 1 yd RUSH PAT KICK by Elliott Fry (GOOD) |
7 | 0 |
| 2nd Quarter | SC | UK | |||
|
TD | 14:42 | Mike Davis 2 yd RUSH PAT KICK by Elliott Fry (GOOD) |
14 | 0 |
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TD | 09:15 | Jojo Kemp 3 yd RUSH PAT KICK by Austin MacGinnis (GOOD) |
14 | 7 |
|
FG | 04:45 | Elliott Fry 31 yd | 17 | 7 |
|
TD | 03:39 | Braylon Heard 38 yd RUSH PAT KICK by Austin MacGinnis (GOOD) |
17 | 14 |
|
FG | 00:00 | Austin MacGinnis 47 yd | 17 | 17 |
| 3rd Quarter | SC | UK | |||
|
TD | 11:45 | Ryan Timmons 48 yd PASS from Patrick Towles PAT KICK by Austin MacGinnis (GOOD) |
17 | 24 |
|
TD | 09:40 | Shon Carson 25 yd RUSH PAT KICK by Elliott Fry (GOOD) |
24 | 24 |
|
TD | 01:48 | Pharoh Cooper 12 yd PASS from Dylan Thompson PAT KICK by Elliott Fry (GOOD) |
31 | 24 |
| 4th Quarter | SC | UK | |||
|
TD | 11:45 | Mike Davis 26 yd RUSH PAT KICK by Elliott Fry (GOOD) |
38 | 24 |
|
TD | 08:06 | Jojo Kemp 1 yd RUSH PAT KICK by Austin MacGinnis (GOOD) |
38 | 31 |
|
TD | 02:46 | Jojo Kemp 5 yd RUSH PAT KICK by Austin MacGinnis (GOOD) |
38 | 38 |
|
TD | 02:29 | Alvin Dupree 6 yd INT RETURN PAT KICK by Austin MacGinnis (GOOD) |
38 | 45 |
LEXINGTON, Ky. – In a game that saw multiple momentum swings at Commonwealth Stadium, South Carolina fell 45-38 to Kentucky as the Wildcats scored 21 unanswered points during the final eight-plus minutes. Defensive end Alvin Dupree gave Kentucky the lead with under three minutes remaining in the game with a six-yard interception return for a touchdown.
Carolina opened the game with the ball and proceeded to use a punishing ground attack that chewed up nearly the first eight minutes that ended with Davis giving the Gamecocks a 7-0 lead with a one-yard touchdown run, his first of three scores on the night. On the drive, South Carolina ran a total of 19 plays, the second-most during the Steve Spurrier era, and 17 of the plays came via the ground, accounting for 70 of the 79 yards.
After getting the ball back just over two minutes later, Carolina nearly lost the ball deep in its own territory on a high snap, but senior quarterback Dylan Thompson was able to fall on the ball. Facing a second-and-18, the Gamecocks went back to the ground, optioning to the left to Davis where the tailback found an open lane and raced out for a 40-yard run to midfield. Thompson was then able to go four-of-four as Carolina continued to march down the field. Davis finished off the drive with a two-yard run to extend the lead to 14-0 early in the second quarter.
With 9:15 on the clock, Kentucky cut the deficit in half as Jojo Kemp finished off a six-play, 52-yard drive with a three-yard run up the middle. The Wildcats held the Gamecocks to a three-and-out on their next possession, but Carolina was able to force a fumble from Kentucky quarterback Patrick Towles. South Carolina turned the fumble into points as sophomore kicker Elliott Fry converted on a 31-yard field goal attempt.
It took the Wildcats just 56 seconds though to pull within three at 17-14 with 3:39 remaining in the half as Braylon Heard had rushes of 15 and 38 on the following drive. With time still left on the clock, South Carolina was able to move the ball down to the Kentucky 15-yard line, but an interception, followed by a 50-yard return by A.J. Stamps gave the Wildcats an opportunity to score with under 30 seconds left. With time expiring, Austin MacGinnis converted on a 47-yard field goal to tie the game at 17-17 heading into the half.
Kentucky took its first lead of the night on the opening drive of the second half. On third-and-four from midfield, the Wildcats went to a trick play with the ball exchanging hands three times before Towles, on the edge, found a wide open Ryan Timmons down field for a 48-yard touchdown pass to give the home team a 24-17 advantage.
With Kentucky seizing momentum, Carolina quickly responded with a five-play drive that took just under two minutes as the Gamecocks picked up big chunks of yards through the air and on the ground. Redshirt junior tailback Shon Carson scored his first touchdown of the season with a 25-yard run to tie the game.
After the defense was able to force the Wildcats to punt, the Gamecock offense was back on the move despite starting from its own nine-yard line. Carolina used a steady dose of Davis along with sophomore wide receiver Pharoh Cooper and redshirt freshman running back David Williams to steadily move the ball down the field. Facing a third-and-four at the Kentucky 12-yard line, Thompson found Cooper on the left sideline where the wideout spun back inside and dove to the end zone as the Gamecocks regained the lead at 31-24 with 1:48 left in the third quarter.
Carolina extended the lead to 14 early in the fourth quarter as the offense put together an eight-play drive that Davis capped off with a 26-yard run up the middle for his third touchdown of the game. Kentucky wouldn’t go away though as a 41-yard return on the ensuing kickoff from Demarco Robinson put the Wildcats in South Carolina territory. Seven plays later, with six coming from Kemp, the tailback scored his second touchdown of the night on a one-yard run.
After a 13-yard run from Davis on the opening play of Carolina’s ensuing possession, the Gamecock offense was unable to get another first down and was forced to punt. Kemp continued to bring the Wildcats back as he accounted for 26 yards on three carries before breaking off a 43-yard run down to the six-yard line. The running back equalized the game at 38-38 with 2:46 on the clock with a five-yard run two plays later.
On the second play of the Gamecocks’ ensuing possession, Thompson’s pass was batted up in the air and Dupree came up with the interception and returned it six yards for a touchdown to give Wildcats a 45-38 lead with 2:23 remaining. Attempting to drive down the field and tie the game, Thompson was intercepted by Ashely Lowery with under a minute left on the clock.
GAME CHANGER With the game tied at 38-38 late in the fourth quarter, Alvin Dupree intercepted a pass attempt from Dylan Thompson that was batted up in the air. The defensive end returned it six yards for the game-winning touchdown.
KEY STAT South Carolina rushed for 282 yards, the most by the Gamecocks this season and fourth highest rushing yard total by the Gamecocks in the Spurrier era.
NOTABLES
- South Carolina’s offense finished with 500 total yards of offense, the most yards by the Gamecocks in a game this season.
- South Carolina also totaled 32 first downs that tied the highest mark in the Spurrier era and the most since Nov. 23, 2013 vs. Coastal Carolina.
- Junior tailback Mike Davis rushed 23 times for a career-high 183 yards. His previous career-high in rushing yards was 167 at UCF on Sept. 28, 2013. It marked his 10th career 100-yard rushing game tying him with Steve Wadiak for sixth most in school history. Davis moved to 16th all-time in rushing at South Carolina as well with 2,009 career yards.
- Davis tied a career-high with three rushing touchdowns. He now has six rushing touchdowns this season and 19 for his career.
- Senior quarterback Dylan Thompson was 23-for-37 in the air for 218 passing yards with one touchdown. He now has 3,404 passing yards and moved into 12th all-time in South Carolina history in passing yards.
- Sophomore linebacker Skai Moore tallied nine tackles to lead the Gamecocks in the contest; it is his second highest mark on the year, just one short of his season-high 10 vs. Georgia.
QUOTABLE South Carolina Head Coach Steve Spurrier
Opening Statement
“Okay I’m not going to yell and scream. Everybody saw what happened. They scored more points than we did; they got a deflection and a touchdown and they beat us. They had a lot of guys play pretty well and probably a lot that didn’t play well, but overall as a team we got beat. Simple as that. Got beat.”
UP NEXT South Carolina will be off next week before returning to action on Oct. 18 as the team returns to Williams-Brice Stadium to host Furman.
