Mark Stoops provides update on Devin Leary after injury vs. Mississippi State

Saturday night, Kentucky halted its losing streak with a 24-3 victory over Mississippi State in Starkville. But the Wildcats also saw quarterback Devin Leary leave the game in the third quarter with an undisclosed injury as Kaiya Sheron entered the game.

Afterward, Mark Stoops said Leary had an issue with his eye, and he chose to keep him out of the game as a result.

“He had something late,” Stoops said, via KSR’s Drew Franklin. “Part of the problem that was taking long, he had something in his eye. He couldn’t see clearly. So, when he was reading the plays, it was getting to be a problem. Hopefully, he’ll be OK.”

Leary threw for two touchdowns as he completed 13 of 22 passes for 156 yards in the effort. Sharon threw three passes as he came in in relief, totaling five yards as Kentucky held Mississippi State scoreless in the second half.

During his postgame interview with SEC Network’s Alyssa Lang, Stoops said Leary took a hit and ended up getting something in his eye as a result.

“Late in the game, he took a shot,” Stoops said. “He got a little something in his eye. We will evaluate him and see where he’s at.”

It was an interesting game for Kentucky, which scored 21 of its 24 points in the first half. Seven of them came on a pick-six, and Stoops noted the offense’s up-and-down performance during his halftime interview with Lang.

He also pointed out it didn’t help Mississippi State had a nearly 12-minute long drive during the first and second quarters. That kept the defense on the field, and Stoops said the offense needed chances to succeed.

“Very spotty,” Stoops said of the Wildcats offense. “It didn’t help when we gave up a long, long drive. Defense, there was an 18-play drive, we had a couple penalties in there, got ourselves out of rhythm a little bit. We did get the pick-six, we took another possession away from the offense. We’ll be okay. We need to give them some opportunities.”

It hasn’t been the easiest go this year for the Kentucky offense, which entered Week 10 ranked 10th in the SEC in scoring. Devin Leary also ranks ninth in the league in passing, averaging 218.6 yards per game. Saturday night, the Wildcats totaled 271 yards of offense as the running game got going in the second half.

It won’t get easier for Kentucky, though. Alabama awaits next week in the midst of a 7-game win streak and a huge victory over LSU on Saturday.