South-Carolina
Season-Defining South Carolina Loss Turned Into a Season-Defining Win at Ole Miss
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.
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.
“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.
“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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Less than 72 hours after the sudden passing of South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, his sister was sworn in to finish his term.
Darlene Graham Nordone took the oath on Tuesday, saying it’s what her brother would have wanted.
Having served in the Senate for almost two and a half decades, Senator Graham was well-liked by his Republican colleagues, generally well-respected by Democrats, and well-known across the country.
Taking the oath on the Senate floor, Darlene Graham Nordone, the younger sister of Lindsey Graham, officially became his successor. A ceremonial swearing-in followed in the old Senate chamber.
Senator James Lankford (R-OK) prayed for Graham’s family Monday as he remembered his friend.
“He’s a person that loved his body, loved the country, and loved the people of South Carolina. And it showed,” said Lankford.
Senator Alan Armstrong (R-OK), who went through a similar selection and swearing-in process just a few months ago, told Bloomberg TV he had come to respect Graham during their brief overlap.
“People knew him for somebody that would speak his mind and was clear and convincing in his argument,” said Armstrong.
As a strong backer of Ukraine, one of Graham’s final acts was to get White House backing for a bipartisan Russia sanctions bill.
Greenville County budget passes with key funding shifts
Greenville approves $473M budget with $44.6M going to public safety, $27.5M to roads, $3.5M for Greenlink while cutting affordable housing to $1M.
South Carolina has been operating under a temporary spending measure for the past two weeks after a small committee of House and Senate members has yet to finalize the budget.
After another day of stalled discussions, Sen. Tom Davis, R-Beaufort, said lawmakers have three options to keep the government funded. One of those options is operating under a continuing resolution, a temporary funding measure that keeps state agency funding the same as the previous financial year, until next year.
The General Assembly’s budget conference committee, a six-member group — three each from the House and Senate — met for a brief budget discussion on July 14. The committee decided quickly to adjourn until 2 p.m. on July 15 after failing to make progress on a spending plan.
Conference committee members are struggling to come to an agreement on property tax relief and earmarks, which are budget allocations set aside for specific projects. The committee most recently met on June 30, the day before fiscal year 2027 was set to start, and decided to push its next meeting out two weeks to give staff the time to collect information on the main differences between the Senate and House budgets.
The committee reconvened on July 14, facing the same challenges as it did during the meeting in late June. Though the legislature has not finalized a budget for fiscal year 2027, state agencies are being funded at last year’s levels due to a continuing resolution.
However, the state will not be able to allocate funds for state employee raises and teacher salary bumps if lawmakers don’t pass a new budget.
“It’s important for the people of South Carolina to remember that government is open,” Davis said. “This is not a situation like in Washington, D.C. where state government is shutting down.”
Davis told his fellow committee members that he thinks they have three options: keep operating under a continuing resolution for the next year, pass a budget without property tax cuts or earmarks, or decide which earmarks can be removed to include some measure of property tax relief.
“Mr. Chairman, I think those are the three options in front of us right now,” Davis said.
House Ways and Means Committee Chair Rep. Bruce Bannister, R-Greenville, said he thinks the state can have a budget and that relying on a continuing resolution is an “absolute failure of this conference committee to do their job.”
“In the next couple of days, we’re obviously going to be working hard,” Bannister said. “I’d like to do that in good faith.”
According to Davis, the House budget includes about $315 million in earmarks while the Senate version has about $130 million. He added that the Senate has $240 million in its budget for a property tax cut, which the House does not have.
The senator from Beaufort also said that there are rules in place that restrict how the conference committee can negotiate. He said for many of the earmarks, the committee either has to approve all funding for a specific project or no funding. The House also had not passed a property tax bill, limiting the committee to using a budget proviso to pass the funding.
“It becomes difficult for the House to agree to a property tax cut via proviso,” Davis said. “The rules constrain them in that regard.”
The conference committee will resume budget discussions on July 15 at 2 p.m. Davis said he hopes the committee can come to an agreement by the end of the week. The budget would still need approval from the House, Senate and governor before it is final.
Bella Carpentier covers the South Carolina legislature, state, and Greenville County politics. Contact her at bcarpentier@gannett.com.
Powerball, Mega Millions jackpots: What to know in case you win
Here’s what to know in case you win the Powerball or Mega Millions jackpot.
Just the FAQs, USA TODAY
The South Carolina Education Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at July 13, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from July 13 drawing
05-25-36-40-48, Powerball: 03, Power Play: 2
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 3 Plus FIREBALL numbers from July 13 drawing
Midday: 8-0-4, FB: 9
Evening: 0-2-7, FB: 2
Check Pick 3 Plus FIREBALL payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 Plus FIREBALL numbers from July 13 drawing
Midday: 0-2-1-7, FB: 9
Evening: 3-4-7-9, FB: 2
Check Pick 4 Plus FIREBALL payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash Pop numbers from July 13 drawing
Midday: 06
Evening: 15
Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Palmetto Cash 5 numbers from July 13 drawing
01-14-27-37-39
Check Palmetto Cash 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from July 13 drawing
01-17-31-39-43, Powerball: 22
Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
The South Carolina Education Lottery provides multiple ways to claim prizes, depending on the amount won:
For prizes up to $500, you can redeem your winnings directly at any authorized South Carolina Education Lottery retailer. Simply present your signed winning ticket at the retailer for an immediate payout.
Winnings $501 to $100,000, may be redeemed by mailing your signed winning ticket along with a completed claim form and a copy of a government-issued photo ID to the South Carolina Education Lottery Claims Center. For security, keep copies of your documents and use registered mail to ensure the safe arrival of your ticket.
SC Education Lottery
P.O. Box 11039
Columbia, SC 29211-1039
For large winnings above $100,000, claims must be made in person at the South Carolina Education Lottery Headquarters in Columbia. To claim, bring your signed winning ticket, a completed claim form, a government-issued photo ID, and your Social Security card for identity verification. Winners of large prizes may also set up an Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) for convenient direct deposit of winnings.
Columbia Claims Center
1303 Assembly Street
Columbia, SC 29201
Claim Deadline: All prizes must be claimed within 180 days of the draw date for draw games.
For more details and to access the claim form, visit the South Carolina Lottery claim page.
When are the South Carolina Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 10:59 p.m. ET on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 11 p.m. ET on Tuesday and Friday.
- Pick 3: Daily at 12:59 p.m. (Midday) and 6:59 p.m. (Evening).
- Pick 4: Daily at 12:59 p.m. (Midday) and 6:59 p.m. (Evening).
- Cash Pop: Daily at 12:59 p.m. (Midday) and 6:59 p.m. (Evening).
- Palmetto Cash 5: 6:59 p.m. ET daily.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a South Carolina editor. You can send feedback using this form.
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