3 Kentucky players to watch against Eastern Kentucky

Kentucky is 1-0, but the Wildcats left last week’s home win over Ball State not feeling great about how they played. Mark Stoops and his team felt they left some points on the turf at Kroger Field. In Week 2, the team is focusing on cleaning up some small things to lead to more success on Saturday.

Eastern Kentucky is rolling into town for the third time since 2015 but will be a heavy underdog on Saturday afternoon. The Colonels have a star quarterback but a defense with all kinds of problems. Week 2 can be a bounce-back opportunity.

KSR is taking a look at three Kentucky players to watch closely on Saturday.

Devin Leary’s response

The debut for Devin Leary at Kentucky was not great. The NC State transfer completed only 8 of 20 passes in the first half and missed on some intermediate throws that he normally makes. Kentucky needs Leary to be a star to reach its ceiling in 2023.

We’ll see what the veteran quarterback has in a bounce-back spot after throwing for 241 yards on 7.8 yards per attempt in Week 1.

Leary and offensive coordinator Liam Coen will be facing an Eastern Kentucky passing defense with all kinds of problems. This sets up to be a great matchup for Kentucky. Now the quarterback needs to go deliver.

However, he will need some help. The surrounding play around Leary was not great in Week 1. Kentucky’s offense as a whole needs to be better this week.

Zion Childress in Week 2

Former Texas State transfer Zion Childress seized a starting safety position for Kentucky in the offseason and was named a team captain. The senior with 95 career tackles entered the 2023 campaign with high expectations. Unfortunately, Week 1 was not a great start.

Childress missed a one-on-one tackle on fourth-and-short at the start of the third quarter and then had a rough pass interference call take away an interception in the fourth quarter. The Wildcats will need better play from the safety spot moving forward. This is a good chance for Childress to bounce back.

EKU runs an RPO spread attack that will put a lot on the quarterback. The Colonels will want to spread Kentucky out and put safeties in tough situations. Childress will be tested. Seeing how the veteran responds will be key to how the defense plays as a whole.

Dylan Ray’s first career start

Starting left guard Kenneth Horsey went down with an injury in the second quarter against Ball State and did not return to the game. The super senior will be out of the lineup for a couple of weeks. West Virginia transfer Dylan Ray replaced Horsey and played well in Week 1.

Now the redshirt sophomore will get a chance to be a full-time starter in the SEC. Not bad for a former walk-on from Indiana. Ray brings good size (6-6, 305) to the position, and his tackle background should help out in pass protection. Watching how Ray holds up will be something to pay close attention to.

The Wildcats now have a chance to build some quality depth on the offensive line with Ray receiving this opportunity for playing time.