With yesterday’s win at South Carolina, Will Stein is the first Kentucky coach ever to win his first two SEC road games (Texas A&M and South Carolina).
Stein is also the first UK coach to go 4-1 in his first season since Paul “Bear” Bryant in 1946.
Check out all the postgame notes from the win:
KENTUCKY AT SOUTH CAROLINA
OCTOBER 3, 2026
WILLIAMS-BRICE STADIUM, COLUMBIA, SC
FINAL SCORE: #24/RV KENTUCKY 35, SOUTH CAROLINA 34 (OT)
Team Records and Series Information
– Kentucky is 4-1 overall, 2-1 in the Southeastern Conference, and South Carolina is now 2-3 overall, 0-3 in the league.
– South Carolina leads the series, 22-14-1, with tonight’s game ending a four-game win streak by the Gamecocks.
– South Carolina leads 11-6-1 in Columbia.
– NOTE: the series records do not include a 2021 Kentucky win in Columbia, later vacated by the NCAA.
Next Game
– A cat fight is on the horizon Saturday, Oct. 10, when the Wildcats play host to the LSU Tigers. It will be the annual Homecoming game, with kickoff slated for 7 p.m. and it will be televised on ESPN.
What the Win Means for the Wildcats
– Kentucky’s 4-1 record is the Wildcats’ best start since the 2023 squad opened 5-0.
– Kentucky’s 2-1 SEC record is the Wildcats’ best league start since the ’23 team also began 2-1.
– Will Stein is the first coach in Kentucky history to win the first two SEC road games of his career.
– Will Stein is the first UK head coach to be 4-1 in his first season since Paul “Bear” Bryant in 1946.
Team Notes
Trailing 17-0 in the second quarter, this marks the biggest comeback road win in school history. The previous record was in 2009 at Georgia, when the Wildcats rallied from a 27-13 deficit in the third quarter for a 34-27 win.
Overall, the 17-point comeback ties for the second-largest comeback (all games) in school history.
In 2010, trailed South Carolina 28-10 in the third quarter, rallied for a 31-28 win at UK.
In 1998, trailed Indiana 20-3 in the second quarter, went on to win 31-27 at UK.
In 2003, trailed Mississippi State 17-0 in the second quarter, came back for a 42-17 win at UK.
The win is Kentucky’s first overtime win since defeating Eastern Kentucky 34-27 on Oct. 3, 2015 in Lexington.
UK now is 4-9 all-time in overtime games.
This is Kentucky’s first overtime road win in school history. The Wildcats are now 1-3 in overtime road games.
This is UK’s first fourth quarter/overtime comeback win since 2024 at Ole Miss.
The last time UK won on the final play of the game was C.J. Conrad’s touchdown reception at Missouri in 2018 on an untimed down at the end of regulation.
Kentucky has played a dominant third quarter in each of their SEC victories. Today, UK outscored South Carolina 14-0 while limiting the Gamecocks to 32 yards total offense. At Texas A&M, UK outscored the Aggies 21-0 while allowing just 20 yards in the third quarter.
Kentucky has thrived on making offensive adjustments at halftime this season, scoring a touchdown on its opening possession of the second half in four of five games, including each of the last three games.
Each of those touchdown drives has gone for 75 yards.
On the flip side, the defense has been just as proficient at halftime. It has forced a punt on opponents’ first possession of the second half in all five games.
It has yielded an average of 4.8 yards on those possessions and no more than 17 total yards in any game (24 total yards).
After punting on the first four possessions, the Kentucky offense scored (TD, FG, TD) the next three times they had the ball.
UK scored on six of its final nine possessions in the game.
UK forced two turnovers (it had none) and now is +5 on the season.
Fourth down were crucial today.
Kentucky went 2-of-2, leading to seven points for the Wildcats.
South Carolina went 0-for-2. UK took the two turnovers on downs and drove for 10 points.
Kentucky has scored 31 points in four of the first five games, first time since 2023.
Will Stein is the first head coach in Kentucky history to accomplish this feat in his first season.
Will Stein is the first head coach in Kentucky history to score at least 31 points twice on the road vs. SEC opponents in his first season.
Kentucky tight ends combined for another productive game, totaling six catches for 63 yards, plus the overtime touchdown and game-winning two-point conversion.
UK tight ends have totaled 37 receptions this season, most in the first five games of a season since the tight ends caught 42 in the first five games of 2000.
Player Notes
QB Kenny Minchey completed 28-of-41 passes for 272 yards and three touchdowns.
He also added the game-winning two-point conversion pass attempt.
The 41 pass attempts are a career high.
He rushed eight times for 12 yards.
In the second half, Minchey went 22-of-29 for 222 passing yards and three touchdowns.
He is the first Kentucky quarterback to have at least 270 passing yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions and completed at least 68 percent in an SEC road game since Jared Lorenzen at Vanderbilt in 2001.
RB J. Baxter rushed 13 times for 48 yards and a touchdown.
He added three receptions for 20 yards.
He plowed in for a 3-yard touchdown run just before halftime.
He has rushed for a touchdown in four of five games this season.
TE Willie Rodriguez caught five passes for 57 yards and the game-winning two-point conversion.
He has a reception in 16 of the past 17 games.
Also ran the ball twice as a Wildcat formation tailback, converting 4th-and-1 and 3rd-and-1 situations.
He found himself alone in the back of the end zone and corralled the game-winning two-point conversion.
WR Kenny Darby set career highs with 12 receptions for 96 yards and added a touchdown.
The 12 receptions are a UK freshman record.
The 12 receptions are the most for a UK player since 2021 when Wan’Dale Robinson caught 13 versus Tennessee.
Darby is the first Wildcat with at least 12 receptions, 96 yards and one touchdown since Randall Cobb at Mississippi State in 2010.
He capped a 75-yard scoring drive to open the second half by hauling in a 17-yard scoring pass from Kenny Minchey.
He commanded a team-best 18 targets.
WR Nic Anderson caught five passes for 80 yards and a touchdown.
Both were UK career highs. He entered the game with four catches for 40 yards on the season.
TE Henry Boyer caught only one pass for six yards but it was a massive one as it went for a touchdown in overtime with UK needing a touchdown to remain in the game. It also set up the game-winning two-point conversion.
LB Sam Greene had six tackles, a quarterback hurry and two forced fumbles.
He ripped out a fumble in South Carolina territory that UK recovered and led to a score. It is the first forced fumble of his career.
He has directly forced a turnover in both road games this season (interception at Texas A&M).
He also pressured the Gamecocks’ quarterback on the following possession on third down, forcing an incompletion. That incompletion led to a punt and a UK drive for a field goal.
Greene also forced a second fumble in the third quarter that stopped a runner one yard short of a first down on third down and led to a fourth down stop on the next play. It also led to a UK touchdown.
LB Grant Godfrey led the Wildcats with nine tackles while adding a sack, 1.5 tackles for loss and a hurry.
He recovered a fumble to record a fourth down stop for the defense in the fourth quarter.
DB’s Terhyon Nichols and Hasaan Sykes had four combined pass breakups.
K Adam Zouagui made both of his field goal attempts and all three of his PATs.
He connected on a 42-yard field goal in the final minute of the first half.
He added a 29-yarder with 4:13 to play in the game that ended up sending the game to overtime.
First Starts
– DB Jaden Smith
Game Captains
– LB Grant Godfrey, LB Sam Greene, OT Lance Heard, TE Mikkel Skinner
