There are now only two undefeated teams left in the SCRC DIAA conference.

Tennessee beat Alabama 34-7 to move to 3-0, while Kentucky beat South Carolina 39-24.

For Kentucky, this was a sure sign they have improved since their preseason loss to Thomas More back in September.

Still, they started somewhat flat and USC ran out to a 10-3 lead as they took advantage of UK penalties.

The Gamecocks seemed to have the run of play during the first 20 minutes or so but then the game started to shift a bit. Center Gavin James was a huge influence for Kentucky and scored twice in the latter part of the first half to put the Wildcats ahead.

As halftime got close Kentucky seemed to settle down. They were working a faster pattern on attack and the support surged in to win rucks. Scrambling, South Carolina focused in on the ball, leaving some space out wide. In addition, UK used the boot, sending high balls into Gamecock territory.

Senior Marcus Manzo and freshman Dom Rosson came on from the bench to make an impact. Manzo put in some thundering runs and Rosson is a good kicker and place some effective kicks to territory to keep USC at arm’s length.

“We didn't play to our potential but did enough to come away with the win and more importantly we continue to make strides forward as a team,” said UK Head Coach Sam Enari. “Against Kennesaw State we learned how to be relentless. Against USC we learned how to be resilient and refocus mid-game.  We conceded too many penalties overall but especially in the early part of the game.”   

But the Wildcats didn’t implode when things weren’t going right.

“All credit goes to the team for their performance,” said Enari. “The work rate remained high all game, and execution picked up.  We made small adjustments and players responded positively.  We used all subs for meaningful minutes and intensity and efficiency stayed high even scoring a few late.”