Injuries Rub Salt in Wounds for Kentucky in Loss to Tennessee
An extra week of rest was quickly wiped away across four quarters of football inside Neyland Stadium on Saturday night for Kentucky.
Not only did the Wildcats get beat like a drum in their 44-6 loss to Tennessee, they also had multiple key players leave the game due to injury.
Linebacker and leading tackler DeAndre Square went to the locker room following the first defensive drive of the game. He would return and finish out the first quarter, but left early in the second, eventually remaining on the sideline. He was ruled out with an ankle injury.
The Wildcats were already without team captain and fellow linebacker Jacquez Jones, who's been out since the Ole Miss game on Oct. 1. Square was down on the sidelines in a boot and walking on crutches after he left the game.
Running back Chris Rodriguez Jr finished the game with 64 rushing yards on 15 carries, but would touch the ball just twice early in the third quarter, eventually missing the remainder of the second half. Head coach Mark Stoops noted after the game that Rodriguez picked up an injury, causing him to leave.
Senior strong safety Tyrell Ajian injured his back tackling Tennessee's Jabari Small at the end of the first quarter. He would not return, forcing sophomore transfer Zion Childress to fill in. Kentucky is already without top free safety Jalen Geiger for the rest of the season.
Wide receiver Chris Lewis went down in the second half and eventually had to be helped off the field, not putting any pressure on his right leg or foot. Defensive lineman Khalil Saunders Jr also went down at a point in the second half.
Postgame, as he did against Mississippi State, quarterback Will Levis had his left shoulder wrapped. He mentioned nothing surrounding his health following the game.
Stoops had no clear idea on any of the injuries after the game, but it's expected we'll know more come the release of the depth chart on Monday morning as well as when Stoops speaks to kick off Missouri game-week.
Kentucky hasn't been able to catch a break on the injury front this season.
For quick takeaways from the loss to the Volunteers, click here.
Hear what Mark Stoops had to say about the loss here.
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