Players to Watch: No. 22 Kentucky-No. 16 Mississippi State

On Saturday night in Lexington, the No. 22 Kentucky Wildcats will look to end a two-game skid, taking on the No. 16 Mississippi State Bulldogs, who enter the matchup on a three-game winning streak. Ahead of tonight's cross-division clash, here are some players to watch as the Cats look to get back on track under the lights at Kroger Field:

Jeremy Flax

It's expected that Kentucky will get its starting right tackle back against the Bulldogs, as Flax missed last weekend against South Carolina.

The offensive line issues are extensive, but the Wildcats need all the help they can get, and Flax was improving before he got hurt in the fourth quarter against Ole Miss. Getting all five starters back in the trenches will do some good as the group looks to find some sort of success against a decent Mississippi State front seven.

Will Levis

There were reportedly no setbacks for the Kentucky quarterback in practice this week, so it's fair to assume that Levis will be at or near 100 percent health. Even if he wasn't, after last week, I don't think Mark Stoops wants to coach another game without him under center.

If the offensive line collapses once again tonight, and Levis has to take some more damage, just keep an eye on the foot situation. It'll take an army to get Levis out of a game once he's in it, but once bad hit can change a lot of things. Kentucky needs its team captain to perform at a high level if it wants to take down the Bulldogs.

D'Eryk Jackson

Just like last weekend, Jackson is asked to fill in for Jacquez Jones, who's expected to be out for the second game in a row.

After getting six tackles and two TFL against South Carolina, Jackson showed that he can do the job well at middle linebacker. The air raid is going to challenge those LBs to stay disciplined and to not missed tackles, so this will be a much bigger test for the junior than what the Gamecocks' offense brought to the table. Look for No. 54 to make some plays next to DeAndre Square.

Tyrell Ajian

Back in the secondary, Ty Ajian will look to continue to provide big plays on defense. He landed a sack that led to a fumble against South Carolina, and the Wildcats may need another big play from the senior, leading to a turnover or two.

Alongside redshirt freshman Jordan Lovett at free safety, Ajian will have to stay poised and on his keys as he and the UK secondary face a bolt-load of passes from Miss State QB Will Rogers. Ajian said on Wednesday that it was fun going against an offense like the air raid, so we'll see if he can take that mindset onto the field.