Following the bye week, Kentucky football (2-1, 0-1 SEC) will travel to Columbia and face the South Carolina Gamecocks (2-2, 0-2 SEC) for its first away game of the season.
WHAT TO WATCH-
Kentucky will face its new permanent conference foe, South Carolina, for its second conference game of the season.
Both the Cats and the Gamecocks are winless against SEC opponents, with South Carolina dropping back-to-back games against Vanderbilt and Missouri.
With the bye during Week 4, the Wildcats have only faced one SEC team, Ole Miss, losing at home in disappointing fashion three weeks ago.
The last time the two teams played was in the 2024 season, when the Gamecocks earned a dominant 31-6 win at Kroger Field in the first SEC matchup of the season.
Kentucky last played at Williams-Brice Stadium in 2023, when South Carolina edged the Wildcats 17-14, handing Kentucky its second straight loss in the series.
Kentucky has not beaten South Carolina since 2021, when an undefeated No. 18 Kentucky team traveled to Columbia and won the game 16-10.
Both teams enter the matchup in desperate need of a conference win, and it could easily be another close one in Columbia.
OFFENSE-
Cutter Boley has emerged as QB1 for the second straight game and will make his first start against an SEC opponent in his career.
In his debut as a starter in 2025, Boley delivered a dominant performance against Eastern Michigan, throwing for more than 240 yards and two touchdowns with a 57% completion rate in the Cats’ 48-23 win.
With an offensive line performing at its best in years, Kentucky has also found significant success in the run game, led by transfers Seth McGowan and Dante Dowdell.
McGowan has emerged as the Wildcats’ offensive star, rushing for 275 yards and six touchdowns so far. That ranks him eighth in rushing yards and second in touchdowns in the SEC and puts him on pace to break Benny Snell Jr.’s program record for single-season rushing touchdowns (19).
Kentucky’s offense has leaned heavily on its tight ends, especially since Boley took over as starter. Josh Kattus and Willie Rodriguez have been frequent targets this season, highlighted by their performances against Eastern Michigan, where both scored touchdowns. It’s no surprise that Boley has built a strong connection with them — the three are also roommates — and those connections should only continue to grow.
At the front of it all, the “Big Blue Wall” has dominated the line in all three games, allowing just three sacks. The offensive line has given Kentucky’s quarterbacks time to throw and consistently opened running lanes that have powered the ground game.
DEFENSE-
Through the first two games, the Wildcats’ defense emerged as a clear bright spot for the team, with a veteran unit led by standouts Ty Bryant and Alex Afari Jr.
However, the defense’s performance in the last game was far from stellar, leading defensive coordinator Brad White to say postgame that it was “about as bad as we’ve played in a long time.”
Although Kentucky came away with the win last week, the defense allowed 23 points to an Eastern Michigan team that entered 0-2. The unit gave up 461 total yards and, while it made a few key stops — including three on fourth down — it committed what White called “day one mistakes” and struggled with depth and consistency.
Still, this group has proven to be a strength for Kentucky through the first two weeks. If the Wildcats can clean up the mental errors and play a full four quarters, the defense has the potential to steady the team as it enters SEC play.
What do the odds say?
Kentucky and South Carolina have always played at a fairly even level; the Gamecocks currently lead the all-time series 21-14. However, Kentucky has struggled on the road, going 6-11 in Columbia all-time and 1-2 in its last three trips.
ESPN Analytics gives the Gamecocks a 57.8% chance to earn their first SEC win of the season, with Kentucky listed as a 5.5-point underdog according to ESPNBET.
Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Sept. 27. The game will air live on SEC Network.
