Kentucky came back from 17 points down and beat South Carolina 35-34 in overtime Saturday in Columbia, sealing it with a two-point conversion instead of kicking the extra point, as ClutchPoints reported. Quarterback Kenny Minchey found tight end Willie Rodriguez in the back of the end zone to finish it.
According to ClutchPoints, it’s the largest road deficit Kentucky has ever overcome to win. Minchey went 28-of-41 for 272 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions.
The IAHHM Take
First-year head coach Will Stein didn’t play for another possession, and that’s the kind of decision that changes how a locker room sees its coach. His reasoning made sense: South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers had been a problem all night, finishing with 226 passing yards and 147 rushing yards, so Stein chose to end it on his terms rather than give Sellers another shot.
Stein, a lifelong Kentucky fan, called his team a “band of brothers” and compared the comeback to Tubby Smith’s 1998 national title team, the original “Comeback Cats.” Big Blue Nation will love that reference. Kentucky is now 4-1 in Stein’s first season.
For the Gamecocks, this one hurts. Blowing a 17-point lead at home is the kind of loss that lingers, and Sellers’ big night gets wasted. Carolina football fans have had a rough stretch lately, from the Panthers to the Gamecocks to South Carolina’s own Cobie Durant dealing with injury in Dallas.
Your call: Would you have gone for two in that spot, or kicked it and trusted your defense? And is Kentucky for real in the SEC?
Source: ClutchPoints
