Opposing coach: Lou Holtz [South Carolina]
October 16, 2004
Game Preview
Kentucky entered its final home game before a two-game road trip at 1–4 overall and 0–2 in the SEC, seeking a reset after consecutive losses to Ohio and Alabama. South Carolina arrived at 4–2 and 2–2 in conference play after surrendering a late touchdown in a 31–28 loss to Ole Miss. Rich Brooks had tried to ease the pressure during the week with an outdoor practice in the rain, while Shane Boyd described the matchup as a chance to approach the remainder of the season with a fresh outlook.
Ball security and the line of scrimmage were central concerns. Kentucky had committed eight turnovers over its previous two games, and South Carolina’s running game posed another test for the Wildcats’ defense. Special teams offered a potential advantage: Lonnell Dewalt had already blocked four field goals, while Ray Fontaine had blocked an extra point. Joe Schuler was set for his first start at outside linebacker.
Game Summary
Kentucky came within 1:28 of a much-needed victory before South Carolina’s fourth-string quarterback delivered the winning touchdown in a 12–7 game at Commonwealth Stadium on October 16, 2004. The Wildcats led 7–6 late in the fourth quarter, but Mike Rathe found Troy Williamson in the back of the end zone to complete the Gamecocks’ comeback before 63,086 fans.
The first half was dominated by missed opportunities and turnovers. South Carolina lost fumbles on its first two possessions, but Kentucky could not turn those chances into points. Taylor Begley missed a 49-yard field-goal attempt, and the Gamecocks took a 6–0 halftime lead on Josh Brown field goals of 43 and 20 yards. Kentucky’s quarterbacks also struggled to hold the ball: Shane Boyd lost two fumbles, and Andre’ Woodson lost another while playing in relief.
Kentucky finally sustained a scoring drive after starting at its own six with 6:26 remaining in the third quarter. The 94-yard march consumed 11:34 and lasted 23 plays before Alexis Bwenge finished with a two-yard touchdown run. Begley’s extra point put the Wildcats ahead 7–6 with 9:52 remaining.
South Carolina had lost starting quarterback Syvelle Newton to an ankle injury, while backup Blake Mitchell had been ineffective. Rathe entered in the fourth quarter and directed the decisive drive. Kentucky had opportunities to stop it: Vincent Burns and Michael Williams both failed to hold potential interceptions on consecutive plays. Rathe then completed a 16-yard pass to Noah Whiteside before finding Williamson for the winning score. The two-point attempt failed, leaving South Carolina ahead 12–7.
Kentucky’s final possession ended after three Boyd incompletions and a dropped fourth-down pass at the Wildcats’ 20 with 59 seconds remaining. Boyd finished 18-of-29 passing for 149 yards, and Glenn Holt caught 10 passes for 59 yards. South Carolina outgained Kentucky 318–251. The Wildcats forced five turnovers but committed four of their own, falling to 1–5 despite holding the lead deep into the final quarter.
Game time: 7 p.m. ET
Stadium: Commonwealth Stadium
Lexington
Box Score
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Carolina | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 12 |
| Kentucky | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
Halftime: Kentucky 0; South Carolina 6
TV: CSS; Big Blue Sports Network (BBSN) (WKYT-27, tape delay at 11:35 p.m. ET)
TV announcers: Mike Morgan (play-by-play), Brad Edwards (analyst)
Radio: UK Radio Network; WBUL-FM 98.1, WLAP-AM 630
Referee: Rocky Goode
Attendance: 63,086
Uniform combination:
Team Statistics
| Statistic | Kentucky | South Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Downs | 18 | 16 |
| 3rd down efficiency | 11-18 | 7-14 |
| 4th down efficiency | 0-1 | 1-1 |
| Total Yards | 251 | 318 |
| Passing | 171 | 105 |
| Comp/Att | 22/35 | 9/16 |
| Yards per pass | 4.9 | 6.6 |
| Rushing | 80 | 213 |
| Rushing Attempts | 35 | 43 |
| Yards per rush | 2.3 | 5.0 |
| Penalties | 4-33 | 4-31 |
| Turnovers | 4 | 5 |
| Fumbles lost | 3 | 3 |
| Interceptions thrown | 1 | 2 |
| Possession | 30:06 | 29:54 |
Scoring Summary
| Period | Time | Scoring play | SC | UK |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd | 14:23 | SC — Brown, Josh 43 yd field goal | 3 | 0 |
| 2nd | 06:32 | SC — Brown, Josh 20 yd field goal | 6 | 0 |
| 4th | 09:52 | UK — Alexis Bwenge 2 yd run (Taylor Begley kick) | 6 | 7 |
| 4th | 01:28 | SC — Williamson,Troy 19 yd pass from Rathe,Mike (Rathe,Mike rush failed) | 12 | 7 |
Individual Statistics
South Carolina
Passing
| Player | C/ATT | YDS | AVG | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Rathe | 5/7 | 57 | 8.1 | 1 | 0 | 88.1 |
| Syvelle Newton | 2/2 | 38 | 19.0 | 0 | 0 | 34.2 |
| Blake Mitchell | 2/7 | 10 | 1.4 | 0 | 2 | 7.8 |
Rushing
| Player | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demetris Summers | 8 | 60 | 7.5 | 0 | 18 |
| Daccus Turman | 8 | 54 | 6.8 | 0 | 22 |
| Cory Boyd | 10 | 51 | 5.1 | 0 | 14 |
| Blake Mitchell | 5 | 28 | 5.6 | 0 | 13 |
| Gonzie Gray | 2 | 15 | 7.5 | 0 | 14 |
| Syvelle Newton | 5 | 7 | 1.4 | 0 | 11 |
| Andrea Gause | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Michael Rathe | 3 | -2 | -0.7 | 0 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cory Boyd | 4 | 54 | 13.5 | 0 | 20 |
| Troy Williamson | 3 | 31 | 10.3 | 1 | 19 |
| Noah Whiteside | 1 | 16 | 16.0 | 0 | 16 |
| Daccus Turman | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 0 | 4 |
Interceptions
| Player | INT | YDS | TD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tremaine Tyler | 1 | 18 | 0 |
Punt Returns
| Player | NO | YDS | AVG | LONG | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demetris Summers | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 4 | 0 |
| Noah Whiteside | 1 | -1 | -1.0 | -1 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | FG | PCT | LONG | XP | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Josh Brown | 2/2 | 100.0 | 43 | 0/0 | 6 |
Punting
| Player | NO | YDS | AVG | TB | In 20 | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Josh Brown | 1 | 56 | 56.0 | 0 | 0 | 56 |
Kentucky
Rushing
| Player | CAR | YDS | TD | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tony Dixon | 16 | 29 | 0 | 10 |
| Arliss Beach | 6 | 28 | 0 | 9 |
| Shane Boyd | 6 | 15 | 0 | 8 |
| Alexis Bwenge | 3 | 6 | 1 | 2 |
| Glenn Holt | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Draak Davis | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Andre’ Woodson | 2 | -4 | 0 | 9 |
Passing
| Player | CMP | ATT | YDS | TD | INT | LONG | SACKS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shane Boyd | 18 | 29 | 149 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| Andre’ Woodson | 4 | 5 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 1 |
| Jacob Tamme | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | REC | YDS | TD | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tony Dixon | 2 | 19 | 0 | 14 |
| Glenn Holt | 10 | 59 | 0 | 13 |
| Jacob Tamme | 3 | 30 | 0 | 12 |
| Gerad Parker | 3 | 23 | 0 | 9 |
| Lonnell Dewalt | 2 | 25 | 0 | 18 |
| Jeremiah Drobney | 1 | 13 | 0 | 13 |
| Scott Mitchell | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
Punting
| Player | NO | YDS | AVG | LONG | IN 20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sevin Sucurovic | 3 | 109 | 36.3 | 45 | 1 |
Kickoff Returns
| Player | NO | YDS | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Draak Davis | 1 | 14 | 14 |
| Dicky Lyons Jr. | 2 | 45 | 27 |
Interceptions
| Player | INT | YDS | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scott Mitchell | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Muhammad Abdullah | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Defense
| Player | SOLO | AST | TOTAL | TFL | SACKS | FF | FR | PBU | BLOCKS | QH |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scott Mitchell | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Muhammad Abdullah | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vincent Burns | 7 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Earven Flowers | 7 | 0 | 7 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Joe Schuler | 4 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ellery Moore | 4 | 1 | 5 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jon Sumrall | 3 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wesley Woodyard | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Trey Mielsch | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Antoine Huffman | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Ray Fontaine | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cedric Koger | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ricky Abren | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lamar Mills | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Matt McCutchan | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Maurice Marchman | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Karl Booker | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Durrell White | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Michael Williams | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Jason Leger | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | FGM | FGA | LONG | XPM | XPA | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taylor Begley | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |