South Carolina vs. Kentucky by the numbers
South Carolina (3-2, 0-2) at No. 13 Kentucky (4-1, 1-1)
6:30 p.m. CDT Saturday (SEC Network)
Kroger Field in Lexington, Kentucky
2 Previous Kentucky-South Carolina games have featured a ranked Wildcats team against an unranked Gamecocks squad. On Sept. 16, 1978, No. 17 Kentucky and South Carolina tied 14-14. On Sept. 29, 2018, No. 17 Kentucky defeated South Carolina 24-10.
2 Straight games with at least 50 points for South Carolina, which defeated Charlotte 56-20 on Sept. 24 and South Carolina State 50-10 on Oct. 1. It’s the second time that South Carolina has scored at least 50 points in consecutive games. In 1995, South Carolina reached 50 points in three straight games, beating Kent State 77-14, Mississippi State 65-39 and Vanderbilt 52-14.
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3 Interceptions in each of the past two games for South Carolina, the first time the Gamecocks have done that since 2013.
3 TD receptions for Kentucky WR Dane Key, tied for the school freshman record set by Derek Abney in 2000 and equaled by Tommy Cook in 2001. Key has caught 17 passes for 269 yards this season.
4 Punts have been blocked by South Carolina this season, tied with Central Michigan for the most in the nation. The Gamecocks blocked two punts in a 35-14 victory over Georgia State on Sept. 3 and two in a 50-10 victory over South Carolina State on Oct. 1.
4 TD passes and seven interceptions have been thrown by South Carolina QB Spencer Rattler this season. He’s the only player in the nation with no more than four TD passes and at least seven interceptions in 2022. Rattler has completed 98-of-151 passes for 1,121 yards.
6 Consecutive games with a TD for Kentucky RB Christopher Rodriguez Jr.
9 Consecutive Kentucky games have included no more than 23 points for the Wildcats’ opponents. The most recent foe to top 23 points against Kentucky is Tennessee in the Volunteers’ 45-42 victory on Nov. 6. It’s Kentucky’s longest such streak since a 10-game run in the 1979 and 1980 seasons.
13 Turnovers have been lost by South Carolina, tied for the most in the nation. The Gamecocks have had nine passes intercepted and lost four fumbles in 2022. Kentucky has five takeaways this season with four interceptions and one fumble recovery.
18 Victories for South Carolina, 14 victories for Kentucky and one tie in the Gamecocks-Wildcats series. Before South Carolina joined the SEC in 1992 and the teams started playing annually, they met three times, with each team winning once plus a tie in 1978.
31 Consecutive games with a reception for Kentucky WR Tayvion Robinson, who has 110 catches for 1,653 yards and 11 TDs during the streak. The first 26 games of the streak occurred while Robinson played for Virginia Tech.
47.7 Yards have been averaged on six kickoff returns by Kentucky WR Barion Brown this season. He’s the only player in the nation with two kickoff returns of at least 80 yards in 2022.
144 Rushing yards for Kentucky RB Christopher Rodriguez Jr. in the Wildcats’ 16-10 victory over South Carolina last season.
206 SEC regular-season games have been played by Kentucky since the Wildcats shut out their opponent, the second-longest streak in conference history. Kentucky hasn’t shut out a league rival since a 25-0 victory over Vanderbilt on Nov. 16, 1996. In SEC history, the Wildcats’ streak ranks behind Vanderbilt’s 307 straight games without a conference shutout from 1968 into 2012.
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.