Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops walked away from Williams-Brice Stadium on Saturday night with more questions than answers after South Carolina rolled past the Wildcats 35-13. For Stoops, the loss wasn't just another setback, it was the latest reminder of how far the Gamecocks have come, and how far his program has slipped in SEC play.
“You’ve heard me say it a lot, but it’s true with every opportunity you have to learn,” Stoops said Monday. “Whether it’s success or failure, you just have to get better.” The Widcats (2-3) are now drowning in SEC frustration, their loss to South Carolina marking the ninth straight conference defeat since last season's upset of Ole Miss. And the Gamecocks made sure that streak wasn't about to end in Columbia.
Freshman QB Cutter Boley was the victim of South Carolina's relentless pass rush. He threw two interceptions, lost a fumble, and was sacked six times for a loss of 39 yards. Two of those turnovers turned into back-to-back defensive touchdowns for the Gamecocks, the haymaker sequence that blew the game wide open. Stoops admitted his young quarterback had little chance against South Carolina's pressure. “We have to play better around him to give him that time,” Stoops said. “Cutter will get better. He’s resilient, and the players believe in him.”
The Gamecocks didn't give Kentucky the chance to even breathe. While South Carolina turned miscues into momentum, the Wildcats failed to force a single turnover. That imbalance sealed the outcome before the second half even had a chance to settle. “I think we all know we can’t overcome turnovers,” Stoops said. “Not in this league. Especially not against a team that capitalizes like South Carolina did.”
The Gamecocks head into a bye week for the first weekend of October before hitting the road to Baton Rouge to face the LSU Tigers on Oct. 11.