The 3-2-1: Three key plays, two game balls, one burning question from South Carolina's win over Kentucky

South Carolina dominated Kentucky for a 35-13 win. We break down the three key plays, two game balls, and ask one burning question from South Carolina’s win.

Three Key Plays
1. Fumble!
Kentucky led 10-7 and had generally controlled the game up to this point. Then Dylan Stewart gave the Gamecocks the jolt they needed. On third and nine, Stewart lined up on the left edge with Troy Pikes and a blitzing Justin Okoronkwo inside. Stewart ran a stunt to the inside, Pikes and Okoronkwo ate up the blockers, and Stewart drilled Kentucky quarterback Cutter Boley, forcing a fumble. Shiyazh Pete tried to fall on the loose ball but couldn’t corral it. Instead, Jatius Geer scooped it up and rumbled 41 yards for the go-ahead touchdown.

2. Interception!
Just two snaps after Geer’s touchdown, Boley overthrew his receiver in the middle of the field, and the ball sailed right to safety Gerald Kilgore. Kilgore picked up a convoy and returned the interception 45 yards for another touchdown. In 45 seconds of game time, South Carolina had turned a deficit into a commanding lead and permanently rattled the freshman Boley.

3. Final drive
The game was over by this point, but South Carolina put on a masterclass in finishing off a game. The final drive lasted 16 plays, covered 68 yards, and drained 9:28 off the clock. South Carolina finally turned the ball over on downs with 23 seconds left, but that doesn’t matter. Chef’s kiss.

Sign up for GamecockCentral today – $1 for the first week, plus a complimentary year of access to The Athletic included.

Two Game Balls
LaNorris Sellers
Sellers had his most efficient game of the season. He threw for 153 yards on 11-14 passing, and aside from one sack, avoided bad decisions. Sellers also rushed 14 times for 81 yards and picked up 10 first downs on runs.

Dylan Stewart
Until Saturday, Stewart had been relatively quiet this season. But he exploded against Kentucky. His forced fumble in the second quarter turned the game around. He forced another fumble at the end of the first half (that he isn’t credited for in the box score), one that may have been meaningless, but the Kentucky receiver he crushed would disagree. Officially, Stewart finished with three tackles, two tackles for loss, a sack, a forced fumble, and a quarterback hurry, but he had Boley seeing ghosts for three quarters.

One Burning Question
Can the Gamecocks find a run game?
The final rushing stats weren’t terrible, but they were also misleading. South Carolina finished with 178 yards on 48 carries (3.7 yards per rush). But LaNorris Sellers led South Carolina in rushing yards (81) and, until the final drive, rushing attempts (14). Rahsul Faison started and had two touchdowns, but just 23 yards on eight carries (2.9 yards per rush). Oscar Adaway chipped in 26 yards on seven carries (3.7 yards per carry to lead the group). Matt Fuller played most of the fourth quarter and had 48 yards on 19 carries, including his first career touchdown.

Put it all together, and the running backs had 97 yards on 34 carries, an average of 2.9 yards. Until the final drive, Sellers had a third of South Carolina’s rushing attempts and over half the rushing yards. That doesn’t feel sustainable.

Discuss South Carolina football on The Insiders Forum!