Kentucky starter Octavious Oxendine out for the season with lower-body injury
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The Kentucky football team will be without at least two starters at Georgia.
Octavious Oxendine, a sophomore who has started UK’s last three games at defensive tackle, was not listed on the depth chart for UK’s game at Georgia. He exited the stadium on crutches after suffering a leg injury late in UK’s 42-21 win over LSU.
Head coach Mark Stoops said Monday that Oxendine will be out for the remainder of the season.
“This last week he played his best game,” Stoops said.
Oxendine overtook senior Abule Abadi-Fitzgerald as the starter at South Carolina. The 6-foot-1, 318-pound defensive lineman has been praised by coaches throughout his second year on campus.
“He brings us a little more juice and little more quickness in there when we’re trying to get some pressure on the passer,” Stoops said following the Wildcats’ 16-10 win over the Gamecocks.
UK had four sacks against LSU, two of which were recorded by Oxendine. He also had three tackles against the Tigers. The Southeastern Conference on Monday named him co-Defensive Lineman of the Week.
A four-star player out of North Hardin High School, Oxendine committed and signed with Kentucky on the first day of the early signing period for class of 2020 recruits. He was one of several prominent defensive-line prospects signed by the Wildcats during that recruiting cycle and became the first to earn a prominent role.
The loss of Oxendine puts more stress on a defensive line that was already without starting nose tackle Marquan McCall, who was also absent from this week’s depth chart. Sophomore Justin Rogers made his first career start in place of McCall against LSU; he and fellow sophomore Josaih Hayes played about the same number of snaps versus the Tigers on Saturday.
Tre’vonn Rybka played against LSU and could see reps at defensive tackle at Georgia, defensive coordinator Brad White said Saturday.
Wide receiver Josh Ali did not play against LSU and was not listed on this week’s depth chart, but his availability is believed to be more fluid.
This story was originally published October 11, 2021 at 11:54 AM.
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