Kentucky Football looked dead in the water midway through the first half in Columbia, falling behind 17-0 early. But the Wildcats clawed back into contention before the break and unleashed a relentless second-half assault on the South Carolina Gamecocks.
The finish was pure drama. Down 34-27 in overtime, Kenny Minchey hit Henry Boyer for a touchdown before first-year head coach Will Stein rolled the dice, keeping the offense on the field to execute a gutsy, walk-off two-point pass to Willie Rodriguez
for a 35-34 victory.
The win marked the largest road comeback in program history and improved Kentucky to 4-1 overall and 2-1 in SEC play. Now, the Wildcats return to Kroger Field for the first home night game of the Will Stein era to host an equally dangerous LSU squad, and the oddsmakers are predicting pain.
LSU Tigers (4-1, 2-1)
Like Kentucky, LSU enters Saturday’s matchup under a new coaching staff following the dismissal of Brian Kelly. Both teams share identical 4-1 overall records and 2-1 marks in conference action, making this a showdown for positioning in the SEC standings.
The matchup features an intriguing subplot on Kentucky’s sideline with offensive coordinator Joe Sloan. Sloan was relieved of his duties in Baton Rouge when Kelly was let go, and Stein brought him to Lexington to coordinate the Wildcats’ offense. But the two teams share more in common.
LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt, who heavily flirted with Kentucky in the transfer portal before choosing Baton Rouge, as did his backup, Landen Clark. And LSU saw Ahmad Breaux hit the exit door to land in Lexington.
Leavitt has been a dual-threat headache all season, completing 66.2% of his passes for 1,220 yards and eight touchdowns, while adding 220 rushing yards and six scores on the ground.
He is surrounded by elite weapons. Running back Dilin Jones paces the backfield with 427 rushing yards and five touchdowns, while Harlem Berry provides lightning in a bottle, averaging 7.3 yards per carry.
On the perimeter, Winston Watkins Jr. leads the Tigers with 23 receptions for 354 yards and two touchdowns, flanked by deep-threat Jackson Harris (15 catches, 317 yards, 21.1 yards per catch) and a solid tight end Trey’Dez Green (14 catches, 222 yards).
Defensively, LSU presents Kentucky’s toughest test to date. Under coordinator Blake Baker, the Tigers boast the No. 2 rushing defense in the country, surrendering just 47.5 rushing yards per game. Linebacker TJ Dottery anchors the middle with a team-high 28 tackles and two forced fumbles.
Up front, LSU’s pass rush is lethal, having racked up 22 total sacks. They are powered by Princewill Umanmielen’s eight sacks and interior disruptor Deuce Geralds’ five.
Despite Kentucky’s historic win in Columbia, the AP voters inexplicably dropped the Wildcats out of the Top 25, and oddsmakers in Las Vegas followed suit with a wide opening spread.
- Game: Kentucky Wildcats vs. LSU Tigers
- Location: Kroger Field — Lexington, Kentucky
- Date: Saturday, Oct. 10
- Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
- TV channel info: SEC Network / ESPN
- Online streaming: ESPN App / WatchESPN
- Radio: UK Sports Network
- Opening odds: Kentucky opens as a 10.5-point underdog, according to FanDuel, with the over/under set at 54.5.
My Early Prediction: Kentucky proved its resilience by erasing a 17-point deficit on the road. This is a good football team. However, a spread this wide reflects LSU’s sheer firepower. Blake Baker’s front is allowing just 47.5 yards per game on the ground, meaning Kentucky’s offense will have to live through Kenny Minchey’s arm against a defense with 22 sacks on the year, with a line that has at times looked shaky out at tackle, and Minchey taking 11 sacks on the year. While the Kroger Field crowd will be electric for Stein’s first home night game, keeping pace with Leavitt and this explosive LSU offense across four quarters will be a brutal assignment.
Final score: LSU 49, Kentucky 41
