Five things you need to know from UK’s embarrassing 31-6 loss to South Carolina
Five things you need to know from Kentucky’s 31-6 loss to South Carolina in the 2024 SEC opener for both teams:
1. Cats miss out on making history.
With Kentucky and South Carolina playing in the first league game in the season when Oklahoma and Texas joined the SEC, the Wildcats’ loss means that the Gamecocks, not UK, will be the first team to lead the standings in a 16-team Southeastern Conference.
Kentucky, meanwhile, will be the first team to hold last place in a 16-team SEC.
2. All Hail Clayton White.
When South Carolina hired Shane Beamer as its head coach prior to the 2021 season, the new Gamecocks head man tabbed then-Western Kentucky defensive coordinator Clayton White to run his defense.
In four seasons now, White’s defenses have completely flummoxed Kentucky.
On Saturday, the Gamecocks defense held UK to 187 total yards, only 44 passing yards, recorded 11 tackles for loss, five quarterback sacks and intercepted two passes, one a pick six.
The South Carolina defensive dominance of Kentucky was the continuation of a trend since White took up residence in Columbia.
▪ 2021: South Carolina held UK to 16 points, 332 yards of total offense and forced three turnovers even while losing 16-6.
▪ 2022: South Carolina held UK to 14 points, 299 yards of total offense and forced two turnovers in a 24-14 win.
▪ 2023: South Carolina held UK to 14 points, 293 yards of total offense and forced three turnovers in a 17-14 win.
3. Vandagriff’s nightmare.
The second career start for Kentucky quarterback Brock Vandagriff was little short of disastrous.
Under unrelenting pressure while playing behind an offensive front that could not block South Carolina, the Georgia transfer completed only 3 of 10 passes for 30 yards and threw a pick six.
With Kentucky down 31-6 early in the fourth quarter, Vandagriff was benched.
One game is not enough of a sample size to render final judgment on any player, but this was an unusually tough showing for the new UK QB.
4. Beamer scores another breakthrough vs. UK.
South Carolina’s victory was the first for Gamecocks head man Shane Beamer in four SEC opening games.
Until Saturday, South Carolina had not won a league lid-lifter since winning 31-13 at Missouri in 2017.
Kentucky coach Mark Stoops is now 6-6 in UK’s first conference game (the Wildcats subsequently vacated one of those wins, a 35-28 victory over Missouri in 2021, due to NCAA rules violations by UK).
5. UK home woes in league games continues.
Kentucky’s loss to South Carolina continues a dispiriting trend. The Wildcats have now lost eight of the last 10 SEC games played at Kroger Field.
In fact, if you want to understand why Kentucky entered 2024 off back-to-back disappointing 7-6 seasons in 2022 and 2023, one need only look at the 1-3 marks in league contests UK compiled both seasons at Kroger Field.
Add in the the 45-42 loss to Tennessee in 2021, and UK’s home-field struggles in SEC games have become a major drag on the Wildcats program.
