KSR GAMEDAY: Kentucky Duels South Carolina in Major Swing Game

It would be hyperbolic to say that the first Kentucky road test of the season will ultimately determine how we feel about the Wildcats’ 2025 season, especially with a redshirt freshman making his first start against an SEC opponent. But it’s not that far off. The stakes are high when the Wildcats take on South Carolina at 7:45 PM ET on the SEC Network.

After a 4-8 campaign in 2024, Kentucky had two primary roster-building goals: Create a dominant offensive line and a team that can withstand and overcome adversity. They’ll need to check both boxes to escape South Carolina with a win.

This is a series where both teams can’t excel at the same time. During the peak of Mark Stoops’ tenure, the Wildcats rattled off seven wins in eight seasons. The scales have tipped in the other direction, with Shane Beamer winning three straight.

Kentucky and South Carolina are flawed teams with difficult schedules on the horizon. The Gamecocks lost their first two SEC games. A loss on Saturday, and it’s hard to find enough wins on the schedule to return to the postseason. Kentucky might have three straight CFP teams up next. Stoops can’t afford to extend his SEC losing streak past seven.

There’s a lot on the line in front of a sold-out crowd at Williams-Brice Stadium, where rain is expected to fall for most of the day. Prepare for another tightly-contested slobber-knocker between these two SEC rivals.

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Kentucky at South Carolina: How to Watch, Listen

• Kickoff: 7:45 p.m. ET
• TV: SEC Network (Tom Hart, Jordan Rodgers, Cole Cubelic)
• Local Radio: UK Sports Network (Tom Leach, Jeff Piecoro, Dick Gabriel)
• AM: 840 WHAS, 630 WLAP
• FM: 98.1 WBUL
• Online: iHeart Radio
• Sirius XM: 374 (UK); 106 or 190 (SC)

Kentucky vs. South Carolina Gambling Angles and Trends

There has been some ever-so-slight movement in the line before today’s kickoff. On BetMGM, the line has moved to UK +5.5 with a total of 47.5.

The under is 9-1 in the last 10 meetings of this series. Mark Stoops is 4-2 ATS at Williams-Brice Stadium with two outright upsets. Shane Beamer is 3-1 ATS in this series but only one of those games was South Carolina the favorite. The Cats are 8-3 ATS as a road dog since 2022. Beamer is 11-7 ATS as a home favorite.

[Read the KSR Plus Scouting Report on South Carolina]

Saturday Gameday Schedule

4:30 pm — The KSR Pregame Show
5:30 pm — The Cat Walk near Gate 98 at Williams-Brice Stadium
6:15 pm — Gates Open at Williams-Brice
7:45 pm — Kickoff on SEC Network

Matchups to Watch

Run Game — The Gamecocks rank last in rushing yards per game (80.25) and 14th in rushing yards allowed per game (152). Opponents are out-gaining them on the ground 608-321. Running the ball is what Kentucky does best. Seth McGowan is second in the SEC with six rushing touchdowns, while the Wildcats boast a rushing attack that ranks in the Top 35 in success rate and EPA.

Kentucky Pass Rush — Injuries have forced South Carolina to shuffle the deck, with two injuries to starters on the offensive line. The strength of UK’s defense is in the trenches. Steven Soles had two strip sacks in the opener, but Kentucky recovered neither. That happened in the third quarter of this game a year ago at Kroger Field.

Clear QB Quarterback Advantage — Cutter Boley is a redshirt freshman in his first SEC start. He’s an aggressive player, and that sword cuts two ways. South Carolina has a future first round draft pick that can creates explosives with his arm and his legs.

Uni Check

The Gamecocks did not reveal what they will be wearing, but one could surmise that South Carolina will rock a traditional garnet jersey. Kentucky is rolling with what some may say is their best uniform combination, All White Everything.

Feeling icy 🥶🧊

Follow – @QuaysheedScott pic.twitter.com/yYrtmbaCDv

— Kentucky Football (@UKFootball) September 25, 2025

Friday Night Ws

It was a winning Friday night for a couple of Kentucky Wildcats. Lizzie Carr had a career-high 13 kills as the Kentucky volleyball team swept Georgia 3-0. Out at The Bell, the Kentucky women’s soccer team logged its second ranked win of the season. Alabama tied the game at 1-1 in the 76th minute. Kentucky responded almost immediately with a goal from Gabrielle Poretto penalty kick, which ultimately served as the game-winner over the 25th-ranked Crimson Tide.

College Football on TV

UCF at Kansas State	Noon	FS1
South Alabama at North Texas	Noon	ESPNU
No. 21 USC at No. 23 Illinois	Noon	FOX
Rutgers at Minnesota	Noon	Big Ten Network
Louisville at Pittsburgh	Noon	ESPN2
Duke at Syracuse	Noon	ACC Network
No. 16 Georgia Tech at Wake Forest	Noon	ESPN
Cincinnati at Kansas	Noon	TNT
No. 22 Notre Dame at Arkansas	Noon	ABC
Utah State at No. 18 Vanderbilt	12:45pm	SEC Network
Auburn at No. 9 Texas A&M	3:30pm	ESPN
Rice at Navy	3:30pm	CBS Sports Network
Utah at West Virginia	3:30pm	FOX
California at Boston College	3:30pm	ACC Network
Baylor at Oklahoma State	3:30pm	ESPN2
No. 4 LSU at No. 13 Ole Miss	3:30pm	ABC
No. 1 Ohio State at Washington	3:30pm	CBS
No. 11 Indiana at Iowa	3:30pm	Peacock
UCLA at Northwestern	3:30pm	Big Ten Network
New Mexico State at New Mexico	4:00pm	Mountain West Network
Hawaii at Air Force	4:00pm	FS1
Tulane at Tulsa	4:00pm	ESPNU
No. 15 Tennessee at Mississippi State	4:15pm	SEC Network
Memphis at Florida Atlantic	7:00pm	ESPN2
Arizona at No. 14 Iowa State	7:00pm	ESPN
Appalachian State at Boise State	7:30pm	FS1
No. 6 Oregon at No. 3 Penn State	7:30pm	NBC
No. 17 Alabama at No. 5 Georgia	7:30pm	ABC
UMass at No. 20 Missouri	7:30pm	ESPNU
San Jose State at Stanford	7:30pm	ACC Network
Kentucky at South Carolina	7:45pm	SEC Network
No. 25 BYU at Colorado	10:15pm	ESPN