Kentucky is Getting High Quality Play from its Defensive Line

Kentucky DL Mi'Quise Humphrey-Grace goes for a sack against Eastern Michigan, via Matt Stone/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

There aren’t a lot of good things you can say about this Kentucky football team right now. However, there are a few exceptions, like at kicker and on the defensive line.

The first line of defense against the traditional run game has been stout. South Carolina’s running backs only picked up 97 yards on 34 carries (2.8 yards per carry). The three-down linemen have accounted for four of the team’s seven sacks and half of the defense’s tackles for loss.

Mi’Quise Humphrey-Grace was Kentucky’s highest-profile defensive addition from the transfer portal, and the former FCS star has lived up to the billing. The Cincinnati native has 11 tackles, 4 TFLs, and 2.0 sacks.

“He’s played big, he’s played strong,” defensive coordinator Brad White said after Saturday’s loss. “I’m obviously pleased with his effort.”

His best effort so far this season was in Columbia. The Kentucky defense had multiple opportunities to sack LaNorris Sellers, but couldn’t get the enormous athlete to the turf. Humphrey-Grace had seen enough. He gobbled up the Gamecock quarterback and drove him backwards, taking South Carolina out of field goal range and forcing a punt.

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Mi'Quise Humphrey-Grace causing chaos in the backfield 😤

📺 – SECNetwork pic.twitter.com/rB12s2Yr74
— Kentucky Football (@UKFootball) September 28, 2025

Humphrey-Grace hasn’t been the only standout on the defensive line. Tavion Gadson might be the greatest revelation. After battling injuries early in his career, he’s had a breakthrough redshirt sophomore campaign. The 6-foot-5, 300-pound defensive tackle from Savannah, GA has a dozen tackles, seven pressures, three tackles for loss, and a sack. Gadson is the Kentucky defense’s highest-graded PFF performer with at least 60 snaps under his belt.

“He played a good game,” Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops said on Monday. “He’s just a guy that really has fought through a lot of good injuries and works really hard and is getting better and better and definitely showed up in that game. He was very disruptive and played a good game.“

Injuries have forced the Georgia offensive line to reshuffle the deck multiple times. The Kentucky defensive line has an opportunity to be disruptive and shake up Saturday’s game at Sanford Stadium.

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