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An update on injured Missouri standout running back Cody Schrader heading into matchup against No. 24 Kentucky

Matt Zenitzby:Matt Zenitz•10/13/23•

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Oct 7, 2023; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers quarterback Brady Cook (12) hands off to running back Cody Schrader (7) against the LSU Tigers during the second half at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

It looks like Missouri won’t have to face Kentucky without its starting running back.

Tigers running back Cody Schrader, whom head coach Eli Drinkwitz classified as “questionable at best” earlier this week due to a quad injury, is expected to play when Missouri faces No. 24 Kentucky on Saturday, sources tell On3.

“That is a tough injury,” Drinkwitz said Tuesday after sharing the uncertainty regarding Schrader’s status. “I would have put him in a different category but we’re talking about Cody Schrader. If he’s breathing, he’s going to be trying to play.”

Schrader ranks second in the SEC with 577 rushing yards and is tied for second with six rushing touchdowns. Schrader has run for at least 110 yards in three of the Tigers’ first six games, including 114 yards and three touchdowns on 14 carries during Missouri’s 49-39 loss to LSU last week.

“To rush for 100-something yards against LSU and for three touchdowns on a pulled quad, it’s remarkable,” Drinkwitz said. “There is no other way to say it.”

Schrader, who transferred to Missouri from Truman State, ran for 745 yards and nine touchdowns last year in his first season with the Tigers.

Missouri, which was 5-0 before the loss to LSU, enters the game against Kentucky as a 2.5-point underdog. Like Mizzou, the Wildcats were 5-0 before last week, but they’re coming off a 51-13 loss to No. 1 Georgia.

Kentucky beat Missouri, 21-17, in Columbia last season.

“We’re putting that game (against LSU) behind us and we’re moving on to this week, this opportunity,” Drinkwitz said this week. “Got a very difficult challenge on the road versus a top 25 team, Kentucky. As we all know, in the three previous games that I’ve played against them have all become a one possession game.

“It’s always been a very physical contest. The team that seems to rush the ball better seems to be the team that’s going to win the game. Definitely a trench-style game on both sides and we’re going to have to make sure we’re ready for the physical style of play that they have.”