Kentucky got out of Columbia with a win, but the box score left a warning label attached: third down almost buried the Wildcats.
South Carolina finished 8-of-16 on third downs, a number that usually points toward defeat, yet the Gamecocks kept finding life at the worst possible moments for Kentucky. The biggest punch came when the Wildcats had the game under control after storming back from a 17-0 hole and grabbing a 24-20 lead in the third quarter.
Then came the play that changed everything. On 3rd and 11 from the 24, LaNorris Sellers broke free for 74 yards and sprinted all the way to the Kentucky two-yard line. South Carolina flipped the game from there, the crowd came back to life, and two snaps later the Gamecocks were back in front.
Kentucky answered again, which kept the game alive long enough to reach overtime. There, South Carolina struck on 3rd and 2 with Sellers and the Gamecocks sneaking a tight end into the end zone off RPO action to take the lead again and force Kentucky to respond. The Wildcats did, then won it with a gutsy two-point try after scoring, finishing off Shane Beamer for the first time in five years.
Still, the escape didn’t hide the problem. Coming into Saturday afternoon, Kentucky’s opponents were 26-for-58 on third down, and that issue surfaced at the most dangerous time possible. The Wildcats need cleaner answers there if they’re going to keep winning in the SEC.
Will Stein knows it, too.
“Sam Leavitt can run. John Mateer.
They can all run,” Stein exclaimed. “So you got to be able to contain these guys.
It’s not like there are giant explosive runs from running backs right now. It’s literally quarterback scrambles, and so that has to improve.
We know that. We are aware of that.
Nobody’s shying away from that aspect of our defense.
“We got to do a better job of getting people to the ground on third downs.”
That concern only grows with the schedule ahead. Kentucky is about to face more dual-threat quarterbacks who can stress a defense the same way Sellers did, and that makes the next test a big one.
This week against LSU and Sam Leavitt will be a major measuring stick for Kentucky’s third-down defense. Leavitt has rushed for 1,036 yards and 16 touchdowns in his career.
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Stein, who arrived after serving as Oregons offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, has brought a steady tone to a group still taking shape under his leadership. The start has created momentum, but his postgame message made the balance obvious: confidence matters, yet Kentucky still has to keep improving if this run is going to mean anything in the SEC race. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky Faces One Big Test Before LSU Comes To Kroger Field
Will Stein spent part of his latest remarks addressing something far removed from the white lines, a fake Kenny Minchey quote that had been making the rounds online. The Kentucky coach made clear Minchey never said it and used the moment to steer the conversation back toward what the Wildcats can control, which is the kind of approach that matters in a week when attention can scatter quickly. With LSU headed to Kroger Field, Stein also framed the matchup as another chance for Kentucky to carry over the confidence it has built away from home.
There was football substance in the discussion, too, including Steins explanation of the origin of the short-yardage "Big Blue Wall Play" package Kentucky used recently. It was a useful reminder that the Wildcats are still shaping pieces of their identity even as the schedule stiffens. Replicating that road composure at home against LSU would be the next step, but first Kentucky has to keep the noise outside the building from becoming part of the story. [Read more 🡒]