Kentucky football team loses key defensive player early in game against Florida

Kentucky nose guard Marquan McCall was knocked out of the Wildcats’ game against No. 10 Florida during the first quarter Saturday night.

McCall, who was coming off a star effort in last weekend’s victory at South Carolina, was trying to make a tackle downfield on the first play of the Gators’ second possession of the game when he fell awkwardly into a teammate. The senior lineman immediately gestured toward the Kentucky bench that he needed assistance. After spending a couple of minutes on the ground, he hobbled off the field with assistance from UK trainers.

With McCall out of the game, Florida scored on the possession to take an early 7-0 lead.

McCall immediately went to the UK injury tent, and trainers re-wrapped his left ankle. It was originally expected that he would be able to return to the game, but he was downgraded to “questionable” by the start of the second quarter. The game was tied at 7 by that point.

Florida led 10-7 at halftime, and McCall was not in uniform for the second half while wearing a walking boot on his left foot. The Wildcats ultimately prevailed, beating the Gators 20-13 to earn a victory over Florida in Lexington for the first time since 1986.

The 6-foot-3, 379-pound McCall is a key part of Kentucky’s defense and was a Third Team All-SEC preseason selection in the annual Phil Steele college football yearbook. He started three games as a junior last season and is one of the highest-ranked UK recruits over the past few years.

McCall recorded just one tackle last weekend, but his effort anchoring the middle of the defense against South Carolina was arguably his best game as a Wildcat. UK won that game, 16-10, and the Gamecocks gained only 216 yards in the contest.

This story was originally published October 2, 2021 at 6:52 PM.

Josh Moore

Lexington Herald-Leader

Josh Moore covers the University of Kentucky football team for the Lexington Herald-Leader, where he’s been employed since 2009. Moore, a Martin County native, graduated from UK with a B.A. in Integrated Strategic Communication and English in 2013. He’s a fan of the NBA, Power Rangers and Pokémon. Support my work with a digital subscription

Ben Roberts

Lexington Herald-Leader

859-429-2848

Ben Roberts is the University of Kentucky men’s basketball beat writer for the Lexington Herald-Leader. He has previously specialized in UK basketball recruiting coverage and created and maintained the Next Cats blog. He is a Franklin County native and first joined the Herald-Leader in 2006. Support my work with a digital subscription