Gamecocks throttle Kentucky in SEC football opener, 31-6

LaNorris Sellers threw two touchdown passes, Nick Emmanwori returned one of South Carolina's two interceptions for another score and the Gamecocks held Kentucky to just 183 yards for a 31-6 victory Saturday to open Southeastern Conference play.

Raheim Sanders rushed for a 21-yard touchdown late in the third quarter to help break the game open for South Carolina (2-0) in the SEC's lone head-to-head matchup. For one week, the Gamecocks sit atop the expanded 16-team league and can thank their opportunistic defense for helping make it possible in the nationally televised game.

Emmanwori's 24-yard pick-6 to start the fourth quarter effectively sealed their third consecutive win over the Wildcats (1-1). Jalon Kilgore followed with an interception of backup Gavin Wimsatt, giving the Gamecocks four through two games.

Alex Raynor kicked field goals of 32 and 39 just before halftime for Kentucky. A week after jumping on Southern Miss quickly for a lightning-shortened 31-0 rout, the Wildcats showed none of that intensity and failed to score a touchdown for the first time since being shut out 21-0 by Iowa in the 2022 Music City Bowl.

“We’ve been beaten pretty badly by some really good football teams, but I felt like our team always fought back,” coach Mark Stoops said. “Today, it didn’t look like we were a very well-coached team and it didn’t look like a team that, that really, wanted to respond.”

South Carolina also rang up five sacks, capping a defensive performance that held Kentucky to just 44 yards passing. The overall yardage allowed was the Gamecocks' lowest since holding Eastern Illinois to 109 in 2021.

South Carolina led throughout thanks to Sellers, who threw TD passes of 24 yards to wide-open Mazeo Bennett Jr. in the first quarter and 16 to Joshua Simon in the third to make 17-6. Sellers completed 11 of 15 for 159 yards with an interception to lead an offense that gained just 252 yards but did what it had to.

Kentucky seemed to gain footing with consecutive field goals to get within 10-6 just before halftime, the second coming off Ty Bryant's interception. South Carolina took control on its second possession of the third quarter and scored consecutive TDs, the first of which was helped by a huge offsides call on the Wildcats' Octavious Oxendine on fourth and 1 at midfield that extended the drive. Sellers’ TD pass to Simon soon followed for a double-digit lead.

Kentucky struggled in most every phase and has a lot to correct before facing Georgia. Even before losing left guard Jager Burton and right tackle Gerald Mincey to injuries, the offensive line struggled to protect Vandagriff and never got the passing game going. Demie Sumo-Karngbaye rushed 17 times for 70 of the Wildcats' 139 yards, but the Wildcats couldn't reach the end zone. The Wildcats were three of 14 on third down and failed on both fourth-down chances.

Kentucky hosts No. 1 Georgia Sept. 14.