Kentucky starting running back Seth McGowan is listed as “questionable” on the opening SEC Availability Report on Wednesday night. McGowan has played in all six of the Wildcats’ games this season, so it’s a very notable development heading into the game on Saturday night in Lexington.
McGowan has been Kentucky’s top option in the backfield this season. The 6-foot-1 senior leads Kentucky with 476 total rushing yards and has seven touchdowns on the ground. McGowan started the year strong with four games of 75+ yards on the ground, but hasn’t had more than 45 yards in the Wildcats’ last two contests.
McGowan’s two best games of the season came against Eastern Michigan (104 yards) and South Carolina (112 yards).
If McGowan can’t go on Saturday, the Wildcats will likely turn to 6-foot-2 junior Dante Dowdell and 5-foot-10 freshman Jason Patterson for an increased workload. Dowdell has 274 rushing yards and one touchdown on 67 carries this season, while Patterson has 103 rushing yards and one touchdown on 21 carries this year.
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With the trio of McGowan, Dowdell, and Patterson, the Kentucky Wildcats rank 10th in the SEC in rushing yards per game, which lands at 155.67. In comparison, Tennessee is fourth in the SEC at 200.29 rushing yards per game. If McGowan can’t go on Saturday, Tennessee will bolster its advantage to control the pace of the game on the ground.
The Wildcats’ injury list is fairly extensive, but the other notable name to watch for Kentucky is defensive back DJ Waller, who is listed as doubtful. Waller has been dealing with a hamstring injury throughout the season, which was reaggravated this past weekend before the Wildcats’ overtime loss to Texas.
Kentucky (2-4, 0-4 SEC) will host No. 17 Tennessee (5-2, 2-2 SEC) at 7:45 p.m. ET on Saturday night at Kroger Field. Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for more Tennessee Volunteers coverage leading into the game this weekend.
Click here to see the full Wednesday night availability report.
