The LSU Tigers are headed into a tricky SEC road test Saturday night, and Kentucky’s offense has a few names LSU can’t let get comfortable.
The Wildcats come in with momentum after three straight wins and a confident feel around the program under Will Stein. LSU is favored by more than a touchdown, but that doesn’t change the reality of these league games: if you miss on a handful of key matchups, things can get messy fast.
The first place LSU has to be sharp is against Kentucky’s running back tandem of CJ Baxter and Jason Patterson.
With Patterson off the injury report, Kentucky appears set to roll out its two-man backfield again, and both players have been producing at a steady clip. Each is averaging more than 70 rushing yards per game.
Baxter, a former five-star and the top back in his class, has 68 carries for 361 yards and six touchdowns. His freshman year at Texas showed the kind of talent that made him such a prized recruit, but injuries stalled things there before he landed at Kentucky and found his rhythm again.
Patterson gives the Wildcats a different look. He’s the explosive complement, the kind of runner who can pop loose if a defense loses its discipline.
He has 45 carries for 355 yards and three touchdowns, and he’s averaging almost 8 yards per carry. Between Baxter’s volume and Patterson’s burst, LSU has to be ready for both power and big-play speed.
Up front and off the edge, Mi'Quise Humphrey-Grace is the defender LSU needs to keep an eye on. He’s been Kentucky’s most productive pass rusher, piling up 15 pressures and leading the team with 2.5 sacks.
He also has 14 tackles. At 6-foot-4 and 271 pounds, he brings size, but he’s not just a heavy body on the edge.
He showed that against Alabama, when he batted a pass, caught it himself and took it a couple of yards for a touchdown. That’s the kind of athletic flash that makes him worth tracking in a matchup with Jordan Seaton.
In the passing game, Kenny Darby is the name with the most intrigue. The freshman wideout was a four-star prospect out of Louisiana last year, and his path has already taken a turn from where it started. He was originally committed to LSU and was going to play for Lane Kiffin before flipping to Kentucky last December.
Now he’s Kentucky’s most reliable target. Darby leads the Wildcats’ passing game with 25 catches for 322 yards and three touchdowns, marks that are at least tied for the team lead across the board. He also brings track speed, which only adds another layer LSU has to respect when the ball goes up.
Kentucky has enough playmakers to make this one interesting, and LSU will need to account for all three if it wants to leave Saturday night with the win.
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