South Carolina football: don’t let Kentucky beat you twice

The South Carolina football team suffered a tough loss over the weekend at home against Kentucky. Shane Beamer’s group just couldn’t figure it out offensively, dropping a close 16-10 decision in a game where they had plenty of opportunities to win.

The Gamecocks were shut out in the first half but battled to make it a one score game late in the second half. South Carolina created two late turnovers, both of which put the offense in great field position trailing by just six points. But on a night where the Gamecocks could only muster 212 total yards, the team couldn’t capitalize.

Defensively, South Carolina played lights out, once again. The unit forced three Kentucky miscues in all. Jaylan Foster added to his NCAA-leading four interceptions. The Gamecocks also recovered two fumbles and they now lead the SEC in forced turnovers.

South Carolina ranks 28th in the nation in total defense, surrendering just 300 yards a game to opposing offenses. If the offense can find a way to get on track over the next few weeks, they could surprise some folks in the back half of the season.

As for this game, though, it was disappointing particularly considering that the Gamecocks were so close to landing a win. That win would’ve put the team at 3-1 and given the program its first SEC victory of the Shane Beamer era.

I know the team is dejected from the end result but they can’t afford to have a hangover effect when heading into another big game that could have major impacts on South Carolina’s path to bowl eligibility.

South Carolina football can’t let the last loss beat them twice.

The Gamecocks are gearing up for a home matchup with Troy, a team that’s also 2-2 and has had a knack of knocking off Power Five programs over the years. Two of those victims, in recent memory, are LSU and Nebraska. South Carolina doesn’t want to join that list so they’ve got to focus on the task ahead rather than the result from last weekend.

The Gamecocks enter the matchup as seven-point favorites according to WynnBET sportsbook. They’ve owned the series with the Trojans, winning all three overall matchups. That includes a 69-24 shellacking in 2010, the last time the two foes met on the field. Don’t expect this year’s edition to be that type of game, though.

While Troy has dropped two contests thus far, they’ve shown the ability to play up to the competition. The Trojans hung tight with a very talented Liberty team, eventually falling 21-13. They also knocked off Southern Mississippi a couple of weeks ago. The Gamecocks can’t afford to look past their opponent, or they’ll miss out on another chance to land a home win.

South Carolina and Troy kick off at 3:30 PM in Williams-Brice Stadium on Saturday as both programs look to move to 3-2 on the year. If the Gamecocks shake off the memory of that hard-fought loss to Kentucky, they should be able to get one step closer to bowl eligibility.