Kentucky football returns from its bye week with a pivotal SEC matchup on the road, as Kentucky will face South Carolina on Saturday night in Columbia. Kickoff is set for 7:45 p.m. ET on SEC Network at Williams-Brice Stadium.
The Wildcats (2-1, 0-1 SEC) have had a mixed start to the season. Wins over Toledo and Eastern Michigan showcased flashes of promise, particularly on offense, but a 30-23 loss to Ole Miss in their SEC opener reminded fans of the challenges ahead in conference play.
South Carolina
(2-2, 0-2 SEC) enters with a similar storyline, with wins against Virginia Tech and South Carolina State, but falling to Vanderbilt and No. 23 Missouri.
One of the biggest questions for Kentucky is who will start as the quarterback with either Redshirt freshman Cutter Boley, who made his first start in the 2025 season against Eastern Michigan after seventh-year senior Zach Calzada went down with an injury against Ole Miss. Boley impressed in the win, completing 12 of 21 passes for 240 yards and two touchdowns, giving fans a glimpse of the program’s future. Head coach Mark Stoops now faces a key decision: stick with the veteran leadership of Calzada if healthy, or continue developing the young talent in Boley.
History suggests the matchup will be competitive. Stoops owns a 7-5 record against the Gamecocks, including a five-game winning streak from 2014 to 2018. However, Kentucky has struggled at Williams-Brice Stadium, where they are just 2-3 under Stoops. The road atmosphere in Columbia has often posed challenges, and with South Carolina looking for its first SEC win of the season, the energy is expected to be high.
Oddsmakers see South Carolina with the advantage. According to FanDuel, Kentucky enters as a +6.5 point underdog with a moneyline of +180. The over/under for the game is set at 46.5 points, suggesting expectations for a competitive but not overly high-scoring affair.
South Carolina’s offense, led by a steady quarterback play and a balanced attack with LaNorris Sellers, will test Kentucky’s defense, which has shown inconsistency at times this year. For the Wildcats, the key may lie in establishing the run early to take pressure off whoever starts at quarterback.
A win in Columbia would give Kentucky momentum heading into the heart of its conference schedule. For South Carolina, a loss would drop them to 0-3 in the SEC, creating an uphill climb for the rest of the season.
Ultimately, the storylines are plentiful: the quarterback question in Lexington, Kentucky’s struggles on the road at Williams-Brice, and the urgency for both teams to prove they belong in the middle of the SEC pack. Under the lights in Columbia, Saturday night will provide an answer to whether Kentucky can regroup from its Ole Miss setback or whether South Carolina will seize its chance to turn its season around.
