RB Jason Patterson expected to return against Auburn: 'He's gonna have to play.'

Kentucky will down a pair of key running backs on Saturday against Auburn. On Thursday night’s Availability Report, Demie Sumo-Karngbaye and Chip Trayanum were both listed as out. DSK leads the Wildcats in rushing attempts and yards on the ground while Trayanum only made his season debut last week.

That cuts UK’s stable of capable ball carriers in half. Head coach Mark Stoops will likely lean on redshirt freshman Jamarion Wilcox, who has impressed throughout the year, to power the rushing attack. He’s recorded 32 rushes this season for 224 yards — a 7.0 yards per carry average. Wilcox is likely in for a heavy workload this weekend.

But he’ll share some of those carries with true freshman Jason Patterson, who is expected to make his long-awaited return against the Tigers. The Florida native showed flashes of his talent in Kentucky’s first two games of the season, but the injury bug bit him after Week 2 and he hasn’t seen the field since.

That being said, the latest Availability Report did not include Patterson — a good sign that he’ll be back and ready to go come Saturday night. Stoops said during his Thursday post-practice press conference that they’ll need Patterson to suit up this weekend. How many touches he’ll actually receive is still unclear, but he’ll be in full pads on the sidelines.

“He’ll play if needed, and he’s gonna have to play in this game,” Stoops said. “Chip is doubtful to out, so we’ll be down some guys.”

Patterson received four carries in the season-opener against Southern Miss, which he took for 28 yards. The following week against South Carolina, he ran the ball 10 times for 45 yards. Patterson looked like a promising young prospect before the injury. Will he pick up where he left off in his first game back?

Kentucky will surely need him to. The Wildcats host Auburn on Saturday night at 7:45 p.m. EST on the SEC Network.