Kentucky "getting thin" as football injuries pile up

To pour salt on the wound, a couple of Kentucky starters left the field at Davis Wade Stadium with injuries before the final scoreboard read 31-17.

Kentucky outside linebacker Jordan Wright missed a few games early in the season with an ankle injury. The nagging setback might have taken a turn for the worse. Wright was carted off the field at the end of the second quarter. The injury forced Marquez Bembry to take more snaps on the edge of UK’s defense.

“We’re just getting really thin,” Stoops said after the game. “We’re getting really thin.”

Banged Up Rodriguez

Chris Rodriguez did not look like himself. Once the SEC’s leading rusher, against Georgia he had just seven yards on seven carries. Instead of bouncing back, he may have looked worse at Mississippi State. The Kentucky running back had only 34 yards on eight carries and a fumble. Stoops was asked if an injury could be blamed for the turnover that turned the game upside down.

“He was dealing with something this week, but no excuses,” Stoops said. “I think with the fumble there was a combination of things on that play — we got blown up at tackle, pressure in the backfield, the handoff looked a little high. Not very good.”

Rodriguez may have to try to bounce back without his left tackle. Dare Rosenthal suffered an apparent knee injury. The LSU transfer limped as the UK training staff helped him off the field. Vito Tisdale also needed help to get off the field at one point. He was able to return before limping off again late in the game.

Kentucky’s head coach did not provide specific details regarding the status of each injury. We should know more on Monday. Octavious Oxendine, Keaton Upshaw and D’Eryk Jackson have already been lost for the season and Marquan McCall just missed his third straight game.

Kentucky was physically beat up at Mississippi State and it shows.