Kenneth Horsey's injury looms large after Kentucky's season-opening win

Kentucky beat Ball State today 44-14, but it may have come at a cost. With just over a minute to go before halftime, super senior offensive guard Kenneth Horsey went down with a lower leg injury. After being helped off the field, he was carted to the locker room, reportedly unable to put weight on his left leg. He did not return, and Mark Stoops did not have an update on Horsey after the game.

“Let’s hope it’s not serious,” Stoops said.

The consequences of this injury could be devastating for Kentucky, but first, let’s talk about the circumstances. A few plays earlier, Jordan Lovett scooped up a Ball State fumble and ran it to the end zone, but the play was blown dead. After review (and a FIERY rant from Mark Stoops), the officials gave Kentucky the ball but marked Lovett down at the 31-yard line. The offense came back on the field and two plays later, Horsey, a two-time team captain, went down.

It wasn’t the only injury today at Kroger Field. Ball State’s star linebacker Clayton Coll also went down just before halftime and had to have an air cast placed on his leg. Mark Stoops and several of Kentucky’s players and coaches comforted him as he was carted off the field.

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Where does the Big Blue Wall go from here?

It was an up-and-down debut for the remodeled Big Blue Wall. Devin Leary had his own issues in his first game as a Wildcat but was pressured throughout. Sophomore Paul Rodriguez is listed behind Horsey on the depth chart, but it was Dylan Ray, the walk-on listed behind Marques Cox at left tackle, who came in when Horsey went down.

With Horsey hurt and Ben Christman, his backup, out for the season, depth on the Big Blue Wall could be a major issue this season. That said, transfer running back Ray Davis still rushed for 112 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries. The offensive line was the biggest area of concern during the offseason and Stoops was able to find some positives after the game.

“I thought at times, the O-line was definitely much improved and gave protection and were more physical and we made some physical good runs at times when we needed it,” Stoops said. “That’s an improvement over a year ago.”

Get well soon, Kenneth.

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