In a must-win game for both teams, Kentucky won the toss and elected to receive, a decision that paid off immediately as they drove down the field for an opening-drive touchdown. Seth McGowan did the heavy lifting on that drive, gaining 42 yards and capping it with a 20-yard touchdown run to put the Wildcats up 7-0. That score also marked the fourth straight game with a touchdown for McGowan, the first Kentucky player to accomplish that feat since Moe Williams.
However, the defense immediately allowed South Carolina to respond. The Gamecocks drove the length of the field behind LaNorris Sellers to tie the game at 7-7.