No. 13 South Carolina wins minus Jadeveon Clowney

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Steve Spurrier promised this week to be more positive about No. 13 South Carolina. It was hard, though, to hide his displeasure about Jadeveon Clowney 's absence. Clowney came to the coaches before the game and said that bruised ribs that kept him from practice Thursday were too sore for him to play. So the 6-foot-6, 274-pound All-American watched the Gamecocks' 35-28 win over Kentucky from the sidelines, chatting with teammates as South Carolina lost a large lead for the third straight game. If Clowney "wants to play, we will welcome him to come play for the team if he wants," Spurrier said. "But he if doesn't want to play, he doesn't have to play. Simple as that." Connor Shaw threw for a touchdown and rushed for another and Mike Davis had 106 yards rushing as South Carolina (4-1, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) held off the Wildcats (1-4, 0-2).