Underclassmen Stepped Up After the Kentucky Defense was Hit Hard by Injuries

The injury bug can be unforgiving. It has effectively invaded the Kentucky defense, and yet, the Wildcats still almost pitched a shutout against the Gators.

Tavion Gadson has been one of the best havoc creators on the defensive line all season. He was ruled out on Friday. Cornerback DJ Waller dressed for warm-ups and was a game-time decision, but did not take the field. The injury situation got worse for the Kentucky defense, almost immediately.

On the opening possession of the game, DJ Lagway just slipped away from a pass-rusher. As he ran toward the sticks, there was a collision, and the Florida quarterback was able to muster enough yards for a first down. That collision also took out two more defensive starters, linebacker Alex Afari and safety Jordan Lovett.

At halftime, we learned there was another significant injury. Sam Greene was named a captain after his big performance at Auburn. The USC transfer at EDGE was spotted crutching his way from the sideline to the Kentucky locker room.

Mark Stoops shared a pessimistic prognosis on his injured players after the game. “It’ll be a few weeks, I think, on most of them,” said the Kentucky head coach.

The short-handed defense needed underclassmen to step up. They did just that. Lorenzo Cowan stepped into Greene’s role and forced a fumble, one that was recovered by Cam Dooley, the safety who replaced Lovett. Jaden Williams had a season-high six tackles in Gadson’s place, while Grant Godfrey tallied three tackles and a TFL at linebacker.

The Wildcats didn’t miss a beat, limiting Florida to 247 total yards (3.6 yards per play) and forcing four turnovers. After the debacle against Tennessee, Kentucky’s defense has held its last two SEC opponents to 10 total points. When their number is called, the defense answers.

“I think it shows what the locker room is like. That they’re willing to stay locked in it,” said defensive coordinator Brad White. “They may not be the starter, but they they prepared like a starter, even if they’re the backup, so they know that when their number’s called, they’re not going to let their teammates down. Really, really proud of all those guys that stepped up.”

With a handful of starters likely sidelined for the foreseeable future, White needs those underclassmen to be at their best to ensure Kentucky can ride this wave of late-season momentum for three more weeks.

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