Kentucky head coach Will Stein rolled the dice in overtime Saturday, and the gamble paid off as the Wildcats completed a historic comeback to beat South Carolina 35-34 in Columbia.

Stein, a lifelong Kentucky fan, compared the comeback to Tubby Smith's 1998 national championship team, calling his squad the “Comeback Cats.”

“We said this whole week, band of brothers,” Stein said when asked about his emotions postgame. “A band of brothers came into Columbia, South Carolina, and got a win.”

BAND. OF. BROTHERS.

Will Stein is building something special with @UKFootball 📈 pic.twitter.com/0UL5phr2nj

— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) October 4, 2026

Kentucky fell behind 17-0 before fighting back to take a 24-20 advantage. The Gamecocks then regained the lead at 27-24, but the Wildcats tied the game to force overtime. The 17-point comeback was the largest road deficit any Kentucky team has overcome.

Stein initially took a more conservative approach late in regulation, choosing a field goal with four minutes remaining to tie the contest. After Kenny Darby was tackled in bounds with only seconds left, the Wildcats had to rely on their performance in overtime to finish the job.

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South Carolina scored first in overtime, leaving Kentucky needing a touchdown and an extra point to extend the game. Quarterback Kenny Minchey found tight end Henry Boyer for the touchdown, bringing the Wildcats within one.

Rather than kick the extra point and continue the game, Stein chose to attempt a two-point conversion. Minchey found tight end Willie Rodriguez alone in the back of the end zone, and Rodriguez secured the pass to give Kentucky the win.

Stein explained that the Wildcats defense had a hard time containing Gamecocks quarterback LaNorris Sellers, who finished with 226 passing yards and two touchdowns while adding 147 rushing yards.

Stein did not want to give Sellers another opportunity and instead put the game in Minchey's hands, who threw for 272 yards on 28-of-41 passing, adding three touchdowns and no interceptions. Stein credited his quarterback and Rodriguez for executing when the game was at stake.

The victory moved Stein to 4-1 in his first season as Kentucky's coach, an accomplishment shared in program history only by Stein and Bear Bryant. The Wildcats will now return home to face No. 11 LSU.