South Carolina football: Gamecocks drop season finale to Kentucky
By Jacob Elsey
South Carolina football closed out its 2020 regular season on Saturday.
South Carolina football travelled to Lexington on Saturday for it final game of the 2020 season. The game ended in a 41-18 defeat, as Kentucky was able to use a powerful rushing attack to control the game from start to finish.
When all was said and done, the Wildcats ran for 291 yards and scored five touchdowns on the ground. Running backs Chris Rodriguez and AJ Rose both eclipsed the 100-yard mark, with Rodriguez reaching pay dirt on three occasions.
For the Gamecocks, it was another miserable performance on the defensive side of the ball, as they allowed their opponent to tally more than 40 points for the fifth time in six matchups. Special teams wasn’t much better, with the typically reliable Parker White missing two field goals.
The game, on paper, seemed much closer than the score, but missed opportunities in the kicking game and four costly Gamecock turnovers turned this contest into an early blowout. South Carolina fell into a 27-3 first half deficit, and never got within 16 the rest of the way.
One positive takeaway was Kevin Harris’s becoming the ninth player in program history to rush for 1,000 yards in a season. The sophomore ran for 210 yards on the night, and should end the year as the SEC’s leading rusher.
”I mean, it felt good,” Harris said about his performance following the game. ”My offensive line did a good job holding me and stuff, so I appreciate the help.”
The Gamecocks’ 2020 season is now over, though the team would be open to playing in a bowl game should they receive an invite. Now, the attention turns to the new coaching staff and trying to close out the 2021 recruiting class. The Gamecocks end the season with a 2-8 record.