One week can make or break a college football season. Rather than letting one loss seal the season’s fate, Kentucky turned a demoralizing defeat into a win that defines the Mark Stoops era in Lexington.
Kentucky unraveled in the SEC opener against South Carolina, allowing mistakes to continuously compound until the Gamecocks left with a 31-6 victory at Kroger Field. Stoops was disappointed in his team’s lack of resolve.
Stoops’ most successful teams are able to grit and grind their way to a win, regardless of the circumstances. They find a way to find a way. Three weeks later, the team that lacked resolve never doubted they were going to leave Oxford with a win.
“The word that really comes to mind for me is just resiliency. Those dudes, the guys we got on our team, you’re never really out of the fight with these guys,” said quarterback Brock Vandagriff.
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Kentucky Never Quit Fighting
There were multiple instances where the game looked over. On 4th and 8 near midfield, Kentucky brought the house and Jaxson Dart made ’em pay by delivering a dagger to Tre Harris for a 48-yard touchdown. Kentucky did not let that take the wind from their sails.
Harris was a man possessed. The nation’s most productive wide receiver tallied 176 yards, nearly half of Ole Miss’ total yards, against this Kentucky defense. On the second possession of the third quarter, he picked up 42 yards after JQ Hardaway fell to the turf. Two plays later, Hardaway stripped the ball from Harris’ hands to force a turnover, giving the Rebels only three points in consecutive red zone possessions.
“It’s the SEC, so we’re competing against some really talented guys. You’re going to lose some reps,” Hardaway said after the game. “But in my eyes, you got to win more than you lose. I lost that one and told myself I got to win one now. I got an opportunity on the next play and took advantage of it.”
Another Almost Fateful Fourth Down
Kentucky bounced back from a big fourth down let-down by making a fourth down play of their own. Barion Brown had not made a catch of more than 20 yards all season. He killed the previous drive with a dead-ball, unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. And yet in the biggest moment of the game, they did not turn away from their explosive playmaker who delivered a 63-yard gain.
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“A year ago, maybe he wouldn’t have bounced back like he did…,” said Stoops,” “… he wanted to come back and make a play for his team, he did. I’m just proud of him for responding.”
“You talk about grit, and I think that’s the biggest thing,” said offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan. “We knew we’ve been battle-tested, right? These first four or five weeks haven’t felt exactly how you want it to feel. But you play the No. 1 team in the country, you play the No. 5 team the country, and when it’s all said and done that South Carolina defense is as talented as we’ve seen.
“I think all those factors in the crazy world of college football, stay the course. Finish the game exactly how we intended and I think that was impressive for everybody.”
Kentucky Never Flinched
Kentucky had a chance to end the game early. Harris’ 11-yard reception on third down was overturned on replay. Facing a 4th and 11, Ole Miss got a chunk play of their own when Caden Preiskorn slipped behind the defense for a 42-yard gain.
The Rebels were only a few plays away from a comfortable game-tying field goal. The Kentucky defense was undeterred. Ole Miss only gained three more yards and was forced to kick a 48-yard field goal that went wide left.
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“They never flinched… they didn’t flinch. They went back up there. They freaking played ball right there, right there in the field goal range,” said defensive coordinator Brad White.
Execution is Everything
The team that unraveled against South Carolina came together and delivered one counterpunch after another at No. 6 Ole Miss. Mark Stoops’ faith in his team never wavered. They put in the work and executed when it mattered most.
“It was all execution,” Stoops said of the South Carolina game. “Our players play hard. Everybody wants to win on Saturday, you have to get better (in practice). That’s not just coach-speak. That was just messy play. It was just messy and that was a direct reflection on me, and that hurt bad. I don’t want to be looked at that way. I don’t want our teams to look like that. We may win and we may lose, but we’re going to play the game the right way.”
They played the right way at Ole Miss by showing resolve time after time and it resulted in the program’s biggest win on an SEC campus in school history.
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COLUMBIA — There were 25 players who signed with South Carolina football on national signing day Wednesday, with likely more on the way via the transfer portal.
Coach Shane Beamer has talent carrying over into the 2025 season on the Gamecocks roster but there are gaps to fill and players to replace.
Here’s who could have an instant impact in the 2025 season after national signing day:
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Tight end Mike Tyler
Tyler flipped his commitment from LSU to South Carolina and is from Columbia, playing at the Hammond School.
The Gamecocks are losing Josh Simon, who has a team-high 450 receiving yards and six touchdowns this season. On the depth chart now, there’s true freshman Michael Smith, who has nine catches for 96 yards and a touchdown.
Brady Hunt and Connor Cox are two other tight ends who played. If Smith slips into Simon’s go-to spot, there might be a new No. 2 and No. 3, where Tyler could play.
“We’ve had some pretty good success with Columbia, guys that have come here and thrived and think he’ll do the same,” Beamer said of Tyler.
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Kicker Max Kelley
Alex Herrera is in his final season as is his backup William Joyce. It’s expected that freshman Mason Love replaces long-time punter Kai Kroeger, but Kelley is the No. 1 kicker in the class of 2025 and could be starting next season.
South Carolina loses key defenders after 2024 season
The Gamecocks are losing starters Alex Huntley and Tonka Hemingway on the defensive line, in addition to linebackers Debo Williams and Demetrius Knight, and edge defender Kyle Kennard. All five players have been instrumental to South Carolina’s success in 2024. Plus, defensive back Nick Emmanwori may declare for the NFL draft.
No. 1 junior college recruit Zavion Hardy may see early action on the defensive line. Either four-star edge Jaquavious Dodd or Donovan Darden could play opposite Dylan Stewart to replace Kennard.
Running back Jaquel Holman
Rocket Sanders has been a huge portal success for South Carolina but he’s gone after this year. Behind him has been Oscar Adaway, who does return. Jawarn Howell announced he plans to enter the portal.
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Holman, a four-star running back ranked No. 10 in South Carolina, could play next season.
Gamecocks sign multiple four-star wide receivers, signing day highlights
Beamer called receivers coach Mike Furrey’s part of the recruiting class a “grand slam” after five signed, including starting QB LaNorris Sellers’ younger brother Jayden.
Malik Clark, Lex Cyrus, Brian Rowe Jr, and Jordon Gidron are all four-star signees with potential to play as true freshmen like Mazeo Bennett did this season. With many WRs returning, it’s not likely they will all instantly play but they were some of the best signees for South Carolina Wednesday.
South Carolina football’s signing day surprises
In addition to Tyler and Hardy, offensive lineman Damola Ajidahun flipped from Georgia Tech and the Gamecocks signed Christian Ingram, a DL from Georgia who picked them over Kentucky and Southern Cal.
South Carolina football recruiting rankings after national signing day
The Gamecocks still sit in the bottom half of rankings in the SEC but improved four spots in the national rankings.
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South Carolina’s 2025 recruiting class is No. 20 nationally, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings, and No. 12 in the SEC. The Gamecocks are above Mississippi State, Kentucky, Arkansas and Vanderbilt but sit below a majority of conference opponents.
FULL LIST: South Carolina football signing day updates: Recruiting rankings, best players in 2025 class
Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at lkesin@gannett.com and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @Lulukesin
Three-star defensive line recruit Christian Ingram signed with the South Carolina on Wednesday, committing to the Gamecocks over the USC Trojans and the Kentucky Wildcats, his other two finalists.
After announcing his commitment to South Carolina, Rivals’ Sam Spiegelman revealed part of the reason why Ingram chose the Gamecocks over the USC Trojans.
“The culture there is to work hard, take care of your brothers, and attack the day every day,” Ingram told Spiegelman. “I live by that standard.”
Defensive line recruit Christian Ingram on his visit to the USC Trojans. / @imcingram / Instagra
The Trojans were once viewed as the leaders in Ingram’s recruitment, but the defensive line recruit decided against the move to Southern California to play for USC coach Lincoln Riley’s program. Ingram is from Covington, Georgia, and as these recruitments come down to the wire, the distance between USC and some prospects’ hometowns feels larger and larger.
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Before finalizing his decision, Ingram visited both South Carolina and USC. The three-star recruit watched the Gamecocks host Wofford on Nov. 23, and the Trojans received the final visit from Ingram on Nov. 30 as the Notre Dame Fighting Irish beat USC in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
South Carolina is having success on the recruiting trail and on the field. Although the Gamecocks are not expected to make the College Football Playoff field, they finished the regular season with a 9-3 record led by coach Shane Beamer.
MORE: USC Trojans Land Top-10 Recruiting Class? Early National Signing Day Tracker
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MORE: USC Trojans’ Matt Entz Raves About Freshman Linebacker Desman Stephens II’s Potential
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MORE: Should USC Trojans Lincoln Riley Be Fired After Notre Dame Loss, Mediocre Season?
Samford Bulldogs (7-2) at South Carolina State Bulldogs (4-5)
Orangeburg, South Carolina; Thursday, 7 p.m. EST
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BOTTOM LINE: Samford looks to keep its three-game win streak alive when the Samford Bulldogs take on South Carolina State.
The South Carolina State Bulldogs have gone 2-0 in home games. South Carolina State is fourth in the MEAC scoring 77.1 points while shooting 45.5% from the field.
The Samford Bulldogs are 1-2 on the road. Samford scores 92.9 points and has outscored opponents by 15.3 points per game.
South Carolina State is shooting 45.5% from the field this season, 1.9 percentage points higher than the 43.6% Samford allows to opponents. Samford averages 24.0 more points per game (92.9) than South Carolina State gives up (68.9).
TOP PERFORMERS: Drayton Jones is scoring 11.6 points per game with 5.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists for the South Carolina State Bulldogs.
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Jaden Brownell is averaging 15.6 points for the Samford Bulldogs.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
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