Kentucky 'decently healthy' coming out of loss to No. 1 Georgia

Kentucky had 11 total players on the final availability report ahead of its matchup vs. No. 1 Georgia with nine of those Wildcats ultimately declared out. The other two were considered game-time decisions — massive pieces in starters Maxwell Hairston and Gerald Mincey at corner and offensive line, respectively.

They both decided to give it a go, fighting through the pain to suit up against the Bulldogs. Mark Stoops was proud of their toughness when it would have been easy to sit against arguably the most physical team in college football.

“(Gerald) Mincey was a game-time decision. To his credit, he went out there every snap but one, I think. That just shows a lot of guts and determination to me,” Stoops said Monday evening. “And the same with Maxwell Hairston, he had that AC joint that was really bothering his shoulder all week. It was sensitive, I think the adrenaline and the (magnitude of the) game, he wanted to go — and he went and was able to play the whole game.”

Elsewhere, Chip Trayanum, Hardley Gilmore IV, Jason Patterson, Devin Smith, Darrion Henry-Young, Jager Burton, Courtland Ford, Tavion Gadson and Josaih Hayes were all declared out. That left the Wildcats with just two scholarship running backs while also being down two starters on the offensive line — Mincey limited, as well.

Sounds dire, right? Stoops is actually pleased with Kentucky’s health report coming out of the Georgia matchup, especially if the Wildcats can get Burton back after calling him “probable to be questionable” against Ohio during his press conference earlier in the day.

That’s also considering Trayanum is once again “not available this week” while also being uncertain on Ford’s status moving forward. He still likes where things stand.

“We have some guys playing through some tough situations, everybody’s banged up this time of year,” Stoops said. “Surprisingly, coming out of the game, we feel decently healthy. I mean, they’re going to be sore, they’re going to be banged up, but we’re relatively healthy.”

How about some good news going into the week? Kentucky could be getting standout freshman Jason Patterson back in the lineup after missing the Georgia game on Saturday. At worst, the expectation is he’s back for the team’s trip to Ole Miss next week.

“Missing (Jason) Patterson — he missed with a soft tissue injury, so hopefully we get him back,” Stoops said. “Maybe this week, maybe next.”

Things could be better, obviously, but they can always be worse playing in the SEC, as well. Getting healthy alongside a feel-good win against Ohio would certainly help ahead of that pivotal matchup in Oxford.