Kash Daniel ejected vs. South Carolina: What it means

The Kentucky Wildcats took a big hit to their defense against South Carolina.

It came late in the third quarter with Kentucky leading 24-10 and having just notched an interception by Darius West. But during the return, Kash Daniel was called for targeting on an illegal block he made.

After the play was over, the referees reviewed the penalty and ultimately upheld it, meaning Daniel was out for the rest of the game.

But the damage isn’t done there. The rules for targeting include players sitting out for the first half of their next game if they’re ejected in the second half of their previous game. That means Kentucky will be without Daniel for the first half of next week’s matchup with the Texas A&M Aggies.

That’s a major loss, as the Aggies have a dominant ground game that Daniel would have been a key player in slowing down. Now, Kentucky will have to rely on Jamin Davis and Chris Oates for the first half of that game.

Kentucky also was left without their starting middle linebacker to finish off the game against South Carolina. The 15-yard penalty actually helped push Kentucky out of field goal range, and the drive ultimately ended with a Terry Wilson interception.

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