Benny Snell Jr. scored the go-ahead touchdown from 1 yard midway through the fourth quarter, Boom Williams broke a 43-yard TD and Kentucky held off South Carolina 17-10 on Saturday night for their third straight series victory over the Gamecocks.
Inconsistent offensively in the first half, the Wildcats (2-2, 1-1 Southeastern Conference) got going after halftime with another strong performance by their hard-charging backfield tandem. Williams rushed 15 times for 123 yards including his big run down the left side for a 10-7 lead early in the third quarter.
Snell followed with nine carries for 41 of Kentucky's 65 yards on the 11-play drive, all achieved on the ground. The freshman finished with 73 yards on 16 attempts as the Wildcats won their second in a row after two tough losses.
The two combined for 317 yards rushing last week against New Mexico State.
Kentucky's defense preserved the lead with two big sacks on South Carolina's final possession, including Denzil Ware's tackle of Brandon McIlwain for a 19-yard loss on fourth and 17. Kentucky recorded four sacks overall and held the Gamecocks (2-2, 1-2 SEC) to 268 yards.
"That's the way this football team needs to play," Kentucky coach Mark Stoops said. "You can't change the past, but we can certainly change our future and push forward."
THE TAKEAWAY
South Carolina: Other than a second-quarter TD drive ending with A.J. Turner's 12-yard TD run and Elliott Fry's 35-yard field, the Gamecocks didn't move the ball much. McIlwain completed 15 of 30 passes for 177 yards in his second straight start but South Carolina managed just 91 yards rushing.
Kentucky: Stoops' midweek blasting of his defense seemed to do the trick as the Wildcats held the Gamecocks to 3 of 13 on third-down conversions and got to the quarterback. "We really had to take it (the criticism) to heart," nose guard Naquez Pringle said. "Seeing what we could do and accomplish, we had to finish. It was a great win."
Williams continued to show durability and explosiveness with his second straight 100-yard rushing game. The offensive line yielded four sacks and Kentucky converted just 4 of 13 third-down chances but gained 351 yards. Junior quarterback Stephen Johnson held the ball too long on many snaps but completed 11 of 19 passes for 135 yards in his first start in place of injured Drew Barker (back).
UP NEXT:
South Carolina: The Gamecocks play the first of five home games over six weeks next Saturday against Texas A&M, seeking their first win in three meetings against the Aggies.
Kentucky: The Wildcats visit defending national champion and top-ranked Alabama next Saturday.
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