Kentucky left Norman with a 21-13 win over Oklahoma on Saturday night, but the bigger question coming out of the game was CJ Baxter’s status.
Baxter was listed as questionable and the Wildcats were hopeful the Texas transfer would be able to play. He went through pregame warmups, but head coach Will Stein ultimately kept him out. Afterward, Stein said Baxter should be back this week against Vanderbilt.
“He actually warmed up well enough that, to the naked eye, you’d be like, ‘Wow, he’s ready to go,’” Stein told reporters after the game. “I think we just wanted to make sure he didn’t re-aggravate what he aggravated so it wouldn’t carry into next week. I feel really confident in our plan to get him up to speed for the next game.”
If there are no setbacks, Baxter appears on track to return against the Commodores before Kentucky heads into a much-needed bye week.
His absence pushed Jason Patterson into a bigger role, and the back delivered enough to help Kentucky finish the job. Patterson handled 12 carries for 38 yards and added one catch for eight yards, giving the offense some life in the fourth quarter after a quiet night against a tough Sooners defense.
Patterson’s best work came the way he’s made his living all season: by fighting through contact and squeezing out extra yards. That showed up on Kentucky’s go-ahead scoring drive, when he converted a 3rd-and-5 run for a first down early in the fourth quarter to help the Cats move in front, 14-13.
The defense did plenty of the heavy lifting, too. Two late John Mateer interceptions helped Kentucky slam the door when points were hard to find.
Even so, the offense is clearly different when Baxter is healthy and involved. Kentucky still found a way without him, but his return would give the attack a much-needed boost.
And the bigger picture keeps getting better for the Wildcats. With Saturday’s win, Kentucky is now 3-0 in SEC road games and remains in the playoff conversation.
In Other News...
Kentucky Just Ran Into One Big Obstacle With Seneca Driver
Kentuckys road win over Oklahoma gave the Wildcats a little extra juice on the field, but it also came with a reminder that some recruiting battles are going to be harder to flip than others. Seneca Driver, a 5-star tight end prospect already pledged to the Sooners, made it clear he remains firm in that commitment, keeping Kentucky in the chase but not changing the shape of the race.
Drivers loyalty appears tied closely to Oklahoma tight ends coach Jason Witten, and he said his commitment is likely to hold as long as Witten is still on staff. Kentucky will keep working, because that is what elite programs do with a talent like Driver, but the Wildcats are trying to climb a steep hill here with a recruit who has already drawn a line around where he stands. [Read more 🡒]
Ty Bryant Had A Bigger Reason Behind His Huge Night At Oklahoma
Ty Bryants performance against Oklahoma stood out on the field, with the veteran Kentucky safety piling up two interceptions and nine tackles in a game that gave the Wildcats a much-needed spark. But the night carried a meaning beyond the box score, because Bryant also chose to use the moment to honor the memory of Neven Coofer, the 6-year-old child who recently passed away.
Bryant wore eye black reading Neven Forever 6 and stayed in touch with Nevens family before and after the game as a way of showing his support. For Kentucky, it was a reminder that some of the most powerful moments in football come from the reasons players carry onto the field with them, even when the game itself provides plenty of its own drama. [Read more 🡒]
Lane Kiffin Still Has Not Let Kentucky Go
Even after LSUs lopsided shutout of Mississippi State, Lane Kiffin was still talking about Kentucky. The Tigers coach came away from the previous weeks one-point overtime loss to the Wildcats with plenty of frustration, and he made it clear after the bounce-back win that the game in Lexington was still on his mind.
Kiffin pointed to the injuries and officiating controversies surrounding that loss and said he had used the Kentucky result as motivation for his players. For Kentucky, that is the kind of win that can linger in an opponents head, especially when a coach keeps circling back to it while stressing how important it is to keep stacking victories afterward. [Read more 🡒]