Kentucky football’s injury list is improving, but questions remain ahead of Tennessee

The off week has provided Kentucky football the time needed to address a mounting injury list.

“I think we’re better,” UK coach Mark Stoops said Monday. “We’re certainly better than we were the last time we took the field. We’re improving, so hopefully this week we’ll stay healthy.”

Kentucky entered its bye week with a concerning injury list after back-to-back losses against Georgia and Missouri.

On defense, linebacker Trevin Wallace and safety Jalen Geiger did not dress out for the Missouri game after suffering injuries in the loss at Georgia. Nose guard Keeshawn Silver, who was also injured at Georgia, was in uniform but did not play.

The Wildcats’ offense received a boost against Missouri with the return of senior left guard Kenneth Horsey from a five-game absence, but right guard Jager Burton was unavailable due to injury. Wide receivers Tayvion Robinson and Barion Brown played in the game but were limited for the second week in a row after leaving the Sept. 30 win over Florida early with injuries.

“I think it hasn’t helped with Barion,” Stoops said last week of Brown’s injury, which has led coaches to hold him out of kickoff return duties for most of the last two games. “Barion is the type of player I don’t need to make excuses for him. He’s a really great player. Probably been a little frustrated. He hasn’t been 100%. I think that hurts with practice. It’s tough with the timing.”

Of the injured players, only Geiger, who Stoops previously announced was expected to miss multiple weeks, was missing from the pre-Tennessee depth chart released Monday. Burton, who had struggled before his injury, was listed as the co-starter at right guard with West Virginia transfer Dylan Ray, who filled in at left guard while Horsey was injured then started at right guard against Missouri.

Stoops said he hopes all of Horsey, Burton and Ray will be available against Tennessee, giving the offensive line its most depth since the season opener.

How the injured defensive players progress throughout the week will be particularly important against Tennessee’s high-octane offense, which has taken a step back from its production a year ago but still makes heavy use of a fast tempo. Stoops said he was pleased with the play of backup linebacker Daveren Rayner, who filled in for Wallace, against Missouri, but the defense will need all the help it can get against a team that torched it 44 points last season.

“I felt like we improved as a football team (during the off week),” Stoops said. “We needed to. We needed the time to heal up a little bit, certainly get some things corrected, improve as a team.”

▪ The Southeastern Conference announced that Kentucky’s football game at Mississippi State on Saturday, Nov. 4, will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET and be televised by the SEC Network.

Next game

No. 21 Tennessee at Kentucky

When: 7 p.m. Saturday

TV: TBA

Radio: WLAP-AM 630, WBUL-FM 98.1

Records: Tennessee 5-2 (2-2 SEC), Kentucky 5-2 (2-2)

Series: Tennessee leads 83-26-9

Last meeting: Tennessee won 44-6 on Oct. 29, 2022, in Knoxville

This story was originally published October 23, 2023 at 12:46 PM.

Jon Hale

Lexington Herald-Leader

(859) 414-6776

Jon Hale is the University of Kentucky football beat writer for the Lexington Herald-Leader. He joined the Herald-Leader in 2022 but has covered UK athletics for more than 10 years. Hale was named the 2021 Kentucky Sportswriter of the Year. Support my work with a digital subscription