Kentucky gets another shot at a statement win Saturday, and this one comes with all the ingredients for a loud night at Kroger Field.
A month after the Wildcats came up short against Alabama in front of a sold-out crowd, Will Stein’s team is back home with No. 10 LSU in town and a chance to land its biggest home victory in five years.
Kentucky also slipped out of The Associated Press top 25 after its walk-off win at South Carolina, so the Wildcats are chasing more than just a marquee result. They’re trying to get back into the national conversation.
The matchup is loaded with odd little connections, too, which only adds to the unpredictability. LSU and Kentucky have met in Lexington only once since 2007, but this game comes with plenty of shared history.
UK offensive coordinator Joe Sloan was LSU’s offensive coordinator before getting fired last year. LSU offensive line coach Eric Wolford was on the Kentucky staff that was fired last season.
Kentucky wide receiver Nic Anderson and left tackle Lance Heard both used to play at LSU, while LSU backup tackle Darrin Strey once played for Kentucky. Tigers quarterback Sam Leavitt took his first transfer visit to Lexington in January, and Kentucky freshman receiver Kenny Darby had been committed to LSU for more than a year.
For Anderson, the emotion doesn’t change the approach.
“Just another game,” Anderson said. “I have some friends on the team still. Looking forward to seeing them, but as far as preparation goes, the preparation stays the same.”
That same personal layer runs through Kentucky’s sideline, where Stein is leaning on Sloan after LSU let him go during the 2025 season. UK defensive coordinator Jay Bateman already got a little payback in Kentucky’s upset of Texas A&M after being stripped of defensive play-calling duties there last season.
Stein made clear how much Sloan has meant to Kentucky.
“Joe’s a pro,” Stein said. “I’m so glad Joe’s on our team.
He adds so much to our coaching staff and to our offense, and really the connection throughout the entire team. He’s an elite person.
He’s an elite coach. He’s an elite recruiter.
I’m really, really happy he’s with us.”
On the field, Kentucky’s quarterback situation could be a major swing factor. Stein said after the second preseason scrimmage that he wanted Kenny Minchey running five to eight times per game, but through four games Minchey had a negative net rushing total. That changed against South Carolina, when he finally started hurting defenses with his legs and picked up four first downs on the ground.
“That was huge,” Stein said. “We’ve been preaching that for weeks with him.
It’s one of those things like you preach it, you drill it, it didn’t show up against Alabama. You preach it, you drill it, didn’t show up in A&M really and in South Alabama.
And then finally it was like, dude, that’s how you got to play. You have to vertically push in the pocket and climb up because that’s where you gain the most yards.
“It’s like you go north and south, you get more yards. East and west, you’re not fast enough to outrun these guys.
You’re just not. But he is kind of slippery and weirdly quick in spots.
I mean, I think we all can see that. He’s not like LaNorris Sellers back there or Keelon Russell, but he is - I use the word greasy.
He’s just kind of like slithery out there. He made great plays.
That was a big difference in us winning on Saturday.”
That kind of mobility matters even more with Kentucky stuck at a 25.6% third-down conversion rate, which ranks last in the country.
The injury picture doesn’t help. Kentucky is thin at inside linebacker with backup Antwan Smith and Tavion Wallace both out. Alex Afari also will not play against LSU while he waits for a court date next week that could restore his eligibility, leaving starters Grant Godfrey and Bo Barnes as the only available inside linebackers in the rotation.
“Yeah, it’s scary,” Stein said. “There’s no doubt about it.
We’re practicing other people, guys that are down the line, because there’s really nobody left. We got to find a way.”
Outside linebacker Sam Greene moved inside for part of the South Carolina game and likely will see more snaps there Saturday. Junior Devin Smith is next in line, though he was beaten for a touchdown in overtime at South Carolina.
The SEC availability report also listed backup defensive backs Jaden Smith and Grant Grayton and reserve guard Aba Selm as out. Long snapper Cole Marszalek, defensive lineman Kalen Edwards and running back Jordan Colbert were questionable.
Wide receiver DJ Miller, who missed the South Carolina game, was probable. On the plus side, running back Jason Patterson and nickel back Aaron Gates were not on Wednesday’s report, which suggests both should be available after Gates sat out against South Carolina and Patterson was sidelined during the game.
On paper, LSU brings the kind of numbers that usually make the decision easy. The Tigers rank second nationally in total defense at 220.6 yards per game and third in total offense at 547.8. Kentucky’s injuries and third-down issues only strengthen that case.
Still, the Wildcats have something working in their favor that doesn’t show up in the stat sheet: the feeling around this team and the setting it’s walking into. With Kroger Field expected to be at its loudest, Kentucky has enough of an edge to make this one interesting.
Kentucky 27, LSU 24.
In Other News...
Kentucky Gets One Big Boost As LSU Test Meets Injury Trouble
Kentuckys setup for LSU got a little shakier this week, with the Wildcats preparing to play without several defensive pieces and one offensive lineman as the matchup approaches. Alex Afari, Tavion Wallace, Antwan Smith, Jaden Smith and Grant Grayton are all slated to sit out, and Abe Selm is also unavailable up front, leaving Kentucky to sort through its depth on both sides of the ball for one of the SECs tougher road tests.
There was at least one bit of good news in the availability report: long snapper Cole Marszalek is expected back, helping steady a special teams unit that cant afford any extra chaos in a game like this. Kalen Edwards, meanwhile, has been downgraded from questionable to doubtful, adding another layer of uncertainty as Kentucky looks to navigate LSU with a thinner margin for error, especially with the Tigers also missing linebacker Whit Weeks because of a leg injury. [Read more 🡒]
Kentuckys First LSU Availability Report Brings Relief And Real Concern
Kentuckys first official availability report under the SECs new weekly policy offered a clearer picture of where the Wildcats stand heading into their next game, and it brought a mix of comfort and concern. The update confirmed some needed good news for a few players who had been in flux, including wide receiver DJ Miller and longsnapper Cole Marszalek, both expected to be available after dealing with availability questions in recent games.
The flip side was less encouraging for a defense already trying to manage its depth. Linebackers Alex Afari Jr. and Antwan Smith were listed out, while defensive tackle Kalen Edwards landed in the doubtful category, leaving Kentucky with more uncertainty in the middle of its lineup than it would like this week. The new report format is supposed to create transparency, but for Kentucky it also underscored how much of the roster is still being sorted out before kickoff. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky's LSU Shot Has Real Upset Energy For One Big Reason
Kentucky has built a pretty respectable case for itself in these high-end matchups since 2021, going 4-8 straight up against top-10 opponents while also covering in 9 of those 12 games. The Wildcats best home example came back in 2021 against Florida, and theyve since found ways to land top-10 wins in 2023, 2024 and 2026, including one against a Lane Kiffin-coached team. So even when the ranking says upset, Kentucky has at least shown it can make those nights uncomfortable.
Now comes a different kind of test at Kroger Field, because this will be the first time a top-10 team walks into the stadium in the Will Stein era. That alone gives the LSU matchup a little extra edge, since Kentuckys recent track record suggests it wont just be there to take the hit and move on. The question hanging over this one is whether that history translates into another home upset, or whether the new era starts with the Wildcats still chasing that breakthrough moment. [Read more 🡒]