No. 17 Kentucky Tops South Carolina 24-10

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Benny Snell Jr. ran for 99 yards and one of Kentucky’s three consecutive first-half touchdowns before the No. 17 Wildcats held on for a 24-10 victory over South Carolina on Saturday night.

Kentucky (5-0, 3-0 Southeastern Conference) quashed initial concerns about a letdown following their first Top 25 ranking since November 2007 by scoring on four straight drives to lead 24-3 at halftime. The Wildcats ended up needing that cushion to offset a scoreless second half and Jake Bentley’s 58-yard, third quarter TD pass that kept the Gamecocks (2-2, 1-2) within striking distance.

Mike Edwards’ interception with 3:47 remaining snuffed one chance by the Gamecocks before they turned the ball over on downs in the final minute. That sealed Kentucky’s fifth consecutive series win and continued its best SEC start since 1977.

Snell’s rushing yardage on 28 carries also made him the third Wildcat to break 3,000 career. His 4-yard score with 4:53 remaining in the second quarter extended his TD record to 40. Quarterback Terry Wilson and A.J. Rose ran for TDs from 1 and 24 yards as Kentucky edged South Carolina 327-321 in yardage. The Wildcats also registered four takeaways, scoring 10 points off a fumble and interception.

GAME CHANGER

Kentucky scored three rushing touchdowns in the second quarter as Benny Snell, Terry Wilson and Asim Rose each found paydirt to give the Wildcats a 24-3 halftime lead. Kentucky ended the contest with 195 rushing yards, 99 coming from Snell.

KEY STAT

4 — The two teams were close on total yards (327-321 in favor of Kentucky) and first downs (20-19 in favor of Carolina) but four Gamecock turnovers, including an interception in the end zone with 3:47 left in the contest, led to 10 Wildcat points in Kentucky’s 14-point win.

UP NEXT

South Carolina will now play its next three games at Williams-Brice Stadium, starting with a noon matchup against Missouri on Saturday, Oct. 6. The game will be televised on SEC Network.