Will Levis Overcomes Injury, Delivers "Controlled Aggression" in Victory Over Mississippi State
Kentucky quarterback Will Levis went on another rollercoaster ride of a football game on Saturday night in the Wildcats' 27-17 win over Mississippi State.
After missing last weekend's game against South Carolina due to a turf toe injury, Levis was able to get back out onto the field, hopeful to lead his team to victory while taking minimal damage along the way.
Mission...somewhat accomplished?
Levis finished with 17 completions for 230 yards, a touchdown, an interception, but most importantly, a win.
Many of those yards came following another blow to the star QB. In the third quarter, Levis was hit hard after throwing and connecting on a deep ball to Barion Brown. He landed on his left shoulder and stayed down on the ground after the play, eventually getting up and jogging back to the locker room to get examined.
'I felt it pop, so I didn't know what it was or how serious it was," Levis said while wearing a sling post-game. "It hurt enough to not be able to keep playing, so it wasn't great, but glad that it's not too serious."
Luckily it wasn't serious, as X-rays came back negative, allowing Levis back into the contest. He would proceed to make multiple big throws down the stretch, propelling the Cats to a big-time SEC win, alongside running back Chris Rodriguez.
"He is a tough player. And he's a great leader. And, you know, he has that belief about him, you know that -- because he's earned it. He's worked for it," UK head coach Mark Stoops said of Levis after the win. "As I mentioned, you know, before with the victory, you know, you see it now. But it's really what you see, not all the work that goes into it. And that's a guy that prepares and works and leads the team."
After all, it's not Levis' throwing shoulder, so why bother?
“I was hoping to hear good news, which I did,” Levis said to the SEC Network's Cole Cubelic. “Got the magic shot and got back out here. It’s my left shoulder, so who cares?”
Offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello commended his QB after the win:
“That guy’s a warrior. That’s why he’s going to be an unbelievably good NFL quarterback,” Scangarello said. “He just has grit, toughness, smarts and competitive greatness.”
After standing on the sidelines for Kentucky's 24-14 loss to South Carolina, Levis knew that there was no stopping him from getting back out on the field as soon as possible.
"Once I realized I was going to be back in time for this week, the message was just to play relentlessly and to just go out and go balls to the wall and we did," he said. "Controlled aggression, that was my message to the offense."
Message received, as Levis and the Cats totaled 478 yards of offense. The damage was equal from both sides, as UK managed 239 yards on the ground and through the air.
Now Kentucky gets a bye week to do its best to heal up before traveling down to take on a red-hot Tennessee team inside Neyland Stadium.
"We need this as a whole team, we need some down time," Levis said. "I'm gonna be doing about 10 hours of treatment every day for the next couple of weeks, but that's just how it is in football, especially in the SEC...you're gonna be banged up, you're not gonna be feeling perfect at this time of the season."
Rest up. Rocky Top approaches.
For more on the Cats' big win over the Bulldogs, click here.
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