Sam Leavitt’s legs have been part of the story all season, and Saturday night at Kroger Field could put that conversation front and center again.
Kentucky knew what it was chasing when it tried to land him in the transfer portal. Leavitt was one of the most coveted players available, and the quarterback showed exactly why at Arizona State, where he helped push the Sun Devils into a College Football Playoff appearance. In 2024, he piled up more than 500 rushing yards and scored five times on the ground.
That same burst showed up quickly after he arrived in Baton Rouge. In the blowout win over Clemson, he ripped off 113 rushing yards and two touchdowns, flashing the kind of out-of-structure danger that has made him such a problem for defenses.
Since then, though, the rushing production has cooled off. Over the last four games, Leavitt has totaled 107 rushing yards, and the reason is simple: a hamstring injury suffered against Texas A&M.
“It’s feeling really good. I’ll be 100% by Saturday,” Leavitt said earlier this week. “It was just a super light hamstring thing and got it back really good for the game, and I just didn’t really have to run around.”
He opened the season with 17 first downs on the ground across the first three games, then hasn’t added another since. Still, Leavitt said the injury may have helped him in a different way, forcing him to stay in the pocket and work the field as a passer against McNeese.
“I definitely think it’s like a different perspective that I have now than I had week three. I don’t even know how to explain it. It’s a feeling of the pocket and a feeling of how the flow of the game is and understanding of when you’ve got to take off and run and check downs and things like that.
“I’m really happy that it happened for me like it did. I can really learn and grow and use it to my advantage.
I’ve got to just play quarterback first and playmaker second, use my legs when it has to happen rather than forcing it. And I think that’s when it can be even more lethal,” Leavitt said.
If that means Leavitt spends more time throwing than scrambling, Kentucky will take it. He has already thrown seven interceptions, which leads the SEC.
And the Wildcats have had trouble keeping mobile quarterbacks bottled up. Marcel Reed found room for a few explosive runs, and LaNorris Sellers gashed Kentucky for 147 rushing yards last Saturday.
“You got to be able to contain these guys,” Will Stein said in his weekly press conference. “It’s not like there’s giant explosive runs from running backs right now.
It’s literally quarterback scrambles, and so that has to improve. We know that; we are aware of that; nobody’s shying away from that aspect of our defense.”
Whether Leavitt actually tests the hamstring, or Kentucky can keep him corralled if he does, won’t be clear until LSU and Kentucky meet Saturday night.
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The one encouraging note for Kentucky is on special teams, where long snapper Cole Marszalek is expected back after sitting out. Kalen Edwards, meanwhile, has slipped from questionable to doubtful, leaving the Wildcats with even fewer options as they prepare for one of the seasons tougher tests. On the other side, LSUs biggest injury issue centers on linebacker Whit Weeks, who is out with a leg injury. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky's LSU Shot Has Real Upset Energy For One Big Reason
Kentuckys next shot at a signature win comes with a familiar kind of pull: a ranked opponent coming into Kroger Field and the chance to turn an ordinary Saturday into something the fan base remembers. Since 2021, the Wildcats have handled this sort of stage better than the broader narrative suggests, going 4-8 straight up against top-10 teams and 9-3 against the spread in those games, with a home win over Florida in 2021 still standing as the clearest example of what this place can feel like when everything lines up.
The interesting part now is that this will be the first time a top-10 team has visited Kroger Field in the Will Stein era, which gives the matchup a different edge even before the ball is snapped. Kentucky has already shown it can pop up with a top-10 upset in 2023, 2024 and 2026, including one against a Lane Kiffin-coached team, so the question is less about whether the Wildcats have ever belonged in this kind of conversation and more about whether they can finally deliver another home breakthrough when it matters most. [Read more 🡒]
Kentuckys First LSU Availability Report Brings Relief And Real Concern
The SECs new availability report is already giving Kentucky fans something concrete to scan ahead of the LSU matchup, and the early returns are a mixed bag. The Wildcats updated list shows linebacker Alex Afari Jr. and Antwan Smith as out, while defensive tackle Kalen Edwards lands in the doubtful category, a combination that leaves obvious questions for a defense trying to sort itself out before a tough conference test.
There is some relief in the same report, though, because wide receiver DJ Miller and longsnapper Cole Marszalek are expected to be available after dealing with their own uncertainty in recent weeks. Even with those small positives, the overall picture still matters for Kentuckys depth and game-day planning, and the rest of the report will be watched closely as kickoff gets closer. [Read more 🡒]