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Come Fan with UsTuesday, August 4, 2026

South Carolina vs. Kentucky final score: Gamecocks sleepwalk but still beat Cats, 38-17

It took a while for South Carolina to wake up, but they used a strong second half to post a 38-17 win over Kentucky.

John Sommers II - Getty Images

For a while, it looked like the South Carolina Gamecocks were in danger of sleepwalking into another loss to the Kentucky Wildcats. That never came to pass, however, as the Gamecocks rode a 31-point second-half run to a 38-17 win in Lexington.

Kentucky was in control for most of the first half, by way of rushing touchdowns from Jalen Whitlow and Raymond Sanders. The Gamecocks had a difficult time stringing together effective drives, punting three times before halftime and also losing a fumble. However, for all of their struggles, the Gamecocks were able to keep the game close.

Once the second half started, South Carolina scored touchdowns on their first three drives of the second half, and ended up scoring on five of their six second half drives. Marcus Lattimore had two touchdowns and 119 yards rushing, and Kenny Miles added another rushing touchdown. Connor Shaw was efficient for most of the night, and tossed touchdown passes to Ace Sanders and Damiere Byrd.

Box Score Hero: Shaw had a very nice and efficient night, going 15-of-18 for 149 yards and two touchdowns, and also rushing for 75 yards.

Rankings Ramifications: South Carolina shouldn’t drop in the polls as a result of their performance.

But Did They Cover? The Gamecocks were 20-point favorites, so they just barely covered the spread.

Next Week’s Schedule:

South Carolina: Oct. 6 vs. Georgia

Kentucky: Oct. 6 vs. Mississippi State

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