LEXINGTON, Ky. — The injury news was bad. The start was worse.
And with starting quarterback Will Levis sidelined, the offensive line shorthanded and its special teams still sloppy, the Kentucky football team on Saturday night needed its defense to be nearly perfect against South Carolina.
It wasn’t, and as a result, the Gamecocks toppled No. 13 Kentucky 24-14 at Kroger Field.
Levis sat with a foot injury, entering the stadium and hobbling around the field pregame in a walking boot. Kaiya Sheron started at quarterback for Kentucky (4-2, 1-2 SEC) — his first career start, in a game in which he threw his first collegiate pass — and his debut could scarcely have gotten off to a worse beginning.