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The No. 17 Kentucky offense showed the intensity that allowed it to rank for the first time in the Top 25 in 11 years. After the situation eventually broke out against South Carolina, the Wildcats' defense took up the challenge with clutches to make sure their found status ended on a positive note.
Their strong start was certainly critical too.
Benny Snell Jr. ran for 99 yards and one of three consecutive touchdowns in Kentucky's first period, and the Wildcats retained their 24-10 win against South Carolina on Saturday night.
Kentucky (5-0, 3-0 Southeastern Conference) has canceled its initial fears of disappointment following its first ranking since November 2007 by scoring four consecutive orders to lead 24-3 at halftime. The Wildcats finally needed that cushion to make up for a scoreless second half and Jake Bentley's third-quarter pass to Deebo Samuel, who kept the Gamecocks (2-2, 1-2) within range from the hand.
Mike Edwards' interception with 3:47 left Gamecocks a chance to pass the ball down at the last minute. These defensive positions sealed Kentucky's fifth consecutive victory and continued its best start in the SEC since 1977.
"We could have finished a little better," said Kentucky coach Mark Stoops. "We shot ourselves in the foot and we got a little rash with some penalties and a sloppy game, otherwise we would really have a chance to put it away much earlier than us.
"I loved the beginnings of our team, we knew we had to leave quickly, we dropped the ball (TD) to escape a scrum and a misjudged balloon, we really got the ball rolling. opportunity to intercept it …. But apart from that, I thought our defense had done an outstanding job in limiting the big games. "
The Wildcats recorded four turnovers, including interceptions by Derrick Baity, Darius West and Edwards. They scored 10 points on a breakaway and an interception before West and Edwards took Bentley and kept their second consecutive SEC win with double-digit numbers.
And it's always a work in progress.
"You still have not seen our best result," said linebacker Jordan Jones, who escaped by force and re-established at South Carolina 7 to put the goaltender Miles Butler into play. . "You've seen good parts of us but there are still a lot of things we're going to film and clean up, and that will make us even better."
The races in Snell's 28 races have made Snell the third Wildcat to break the 3,000-seat mark. His 4-yard score of 4:53 in the second quarter brought his TD record to 40. Quarterback Terry Wilson and AJ Rose ran for the first 24-yard touchdowns while Kentucky beat South Carolina 327 to 321 yards.
"We are going to watch the movie and be extremely disappointed with a lot of self-inflicted problems," said South Carolina coach Will Muschamp. "Give credit to Kentucky, they are a good football team, but we got hurt."
IMPLICATIONS OF POLL
Kentucky's first appearance in the Top 25 in 11 years will last another week.
FLAG DAY
Both teams were penalized 11 times in a sometimes difficult match. Kentucky was hit for 115 yards, South Carolina 94. Wildcats linebacker Daniel Kash was sent off in the third quarter for being targeted while he was blocking West's interception.
HOT TICKET
After averaging just under 50,000 in previous home games against Central Michigan and FCS Murray State, Kentucky has attracted at least 60,000 spectators in a row, including 63,081 on Saturday night.
L & # 39; boarding
South Carolina: The Gamecocks' passing match was started at halftime and they were two possessions in the middle of the fourth quarter. But their catch-up attempt also resulted in costly interceptions by Bentley (13 of 28, 148 yards), including one in the end zone.
"There are a lot of games that I could have played better," Bentley said. "I do not know what it was, I just have to play better."
Kentucky: The Wildcats seemed to be heading for a second consecutive loss to the SEC by dominating the Gamecocks on both sides of the ball. A second half-time goal opens the door for South Carolina, but the defense offers two turnovers at the right time to stay ahead. This was enough to offset the TD that scored the first points awarded in the third quarter of the season.
FOLLOWING
South Carolina hosts Missouri on Saturday to open a three-game family circuit.
Kentucky travels to Texas A & M Saturday at its first SEC meeting with the Aggies.
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