Three Players to Watch for Kentucky Against Missouri

Kentucky football is on the ropes and desperately needs a win to acquire some momentum for the remainder of the season. The Wildcats will look to capture that victory on the road, taking on the surging Missouri Tigers in Columbia. A win earns Kentucky bowl eligibility for the seventh season in a row. Ahead of Saturday's contest, here are some players to watch:

Jeremy Flax

Missouri's defense poses yet another threat to Kentucky's offensive line. Right tackle Jeremy Flax has struggled to stay healthy after finally beginning to take some strides against Ole Miss on Oct. 1.

There's been plenty of continuity issues with the Big Blue Wall this season, part of which is due to the lack of Flax on that right side at times this season. It's clear that he's someone who can make that next stride and become a consistent performer for O-line coach Zach Yenser, but staying healthy has nixed any eye-popping improvement for the RT this season.

Flax's performance is one to be monitored against Mizzou.

Dane Key

It's high time we see Dane Key return to prominence in Kentucky's offense. He hasn't caught a touchdown since week three against Youngstown State.

Granted, asking for a big game from a UK wide receiver on the road against a solid SEC defense is maybe a bit much, but Key appeared to be such an important piece to the Wildcats early on the season. Whether you attribute him tapering off on the stat sheet to defense's doing their best to shut him down, or the simple lack of offense from UK, it's been a ho-hum past few weeks for the true freshman.

A deep ball or two to the Frederick Douglass High School product wouldn't hurt on Saturday afternoon.

Jordan Wright

Jordan Wright has the second-most tackles on the team, but it's been a while since he's made one of those patented big plays that Big Blue Nation has come to know and love.

With no Jacquez Jones or DeAndre Square at linebacker, Wright will have to provide both a veteran presence and a prevalent pass rush to make the kind of impact needed on UK's defense and Missouri's offense.

Watch for the strongside LB to notch an important tackle or two against the Tigers.

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