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A lot of things went wrong for the Kentucky Wildcats in the game against Mississippi State.
Of all the issues, the one that gave Kentucky fans the most concern was the pain that quarterback Sawyer Smith was feeling after the game and his health for this weekend. Smith only completed 15/41 pass attempts against the Bulldogs and suffered a shoulder injury during the first half. He was 7/15 at halftime, so it’s safe to think the injury affected him in the second half.
With Smith replacing Terry Wilson already, Kentucky’s quarterback options would be slim if they had to make another change for the weekend.
Now, it thankfully, seems that this won’t be the case
After practice today, Smith said he’s good to go vs. South Carolina on Saturday.
Kentucky QB Sawyer Smith tells us his arm feels good and he’s ready to go for South Carolina. He wasn’t concerned about it. Just needed some ice and rest. He tells us Cats had a good practice today and are hungry to get back on winning track. #BBN pic.twitter.com/AasgHgNMOt
— Jeff Drummond (@JDrumUK) September 25, 2019
UK QB Sawyer Smith said he’s not missed a rep in practice this week. Still dealing with some soreness, but seems like he’ll be good to go on Saturday.
— Derek Terry (@DerekSTerry) September 25, 2019
You obviously don’t want Smith feeling any kind of soreness that could get aggravated over the course of the game this weekend, but it’s encouraging to see that he has yet to miss a practice rep this week.
Smith still has some connections to work out with his receivers and the only way he’s going to improve that grasp of the offense will be is if he continues to play. From that standpoint, it’s good to see he’s preparing to be a full-go.
The best thing at this point is that Smith continue to receive treatment and take care of that shoulder heading into a pivotal game for the Wildcats’ season. South Carolina may only be 1-3, but it’s still SEC competition on the road against a team that is likely looking for retribution after both their start as well their loss last season at Kroger Field.
Mark Stoops is going to need everyone, including Smith, ready to go before going into Columbia for a game that will either swing Kentucky back in the right direction going into a bye week or set them back again with a losing record and more questions than answers after five games.