Will Levis should be near full strength for Saturday night's game. (Vicky Graff Photo)
Kentucky coach Mark Stoops had the positive update that Kentucky fans wanted — and needed — to hear Wednesday on the Southeastern Conference coaches teleconference.
“Obviously, it’s important to get our quarterback back, get him out there. He’s been able to practice the first couple days of the week. We’ll see how it goes today,” Stoops said. “Right now it seems like he’ll be healthy, barring any setbacks. Obviously that brings a lot of energy to our team.”
Levis did not play in last week’s 24-14 loss to South Carolina because of a turf toe injury.
“I feel like barring any setbacks he should be good to go,” Stoops said Wednesday. “He was out there Monday and Tuesday, and we practice this afternoon and we expect he’ll be out there (Wednesday). We hope he’s at or near full strength.”
Offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello confirmed about the same information after Tuesday’s practice.
“He’s day-to-day right now, so I’m not going to get into all that stuff right now with Will but, he’s out there today… trending the way we’d hope he’d trend,” the UK offensive coordinator said.
With Levis out, redshirt freshman Kaiya Sheron of Somerset made his first start and completed 15 of 27 passes for 178 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. But he did not get an abundance of help as UK fumbled the first play from scrimmage to set up an easy South Carolina touchdown, had a punt blocked and missed a 45-yard field goal.
Stoops saw good and bad from Sheron — which was to be expected with his lack of experience.
“I thought he made some really good throws. He made some poor decisions on where his eyes were that led to bad plays and led to sacks. We’ve talked about that with Will, it’s going to happen at times, it isn’t always on the o-line or protection, things of that nature,” Stoops said.
“We didn’t play very good around him at times. There’s people that, there’s plays, but again the inconsistency (led) to the breakdown – a breakdown here, a breakdown there. You can’t put it on any one person, we just as a group didn’t play very good around him.”
“I felt like that during the game, and I said it after, and that was certainly true after watching the film. So, he did some very good things, we need to play better and respond better around him.”
Stoops knows Sheron will be better because of the experience if he is needed again this Saturday night against Mississippi State.
“You’ve heard me talk for many years that experience matters. Playing and being in that situation, it matters. He was put in a tough situation and responded well. He’s a tough young man and he’ll handle all that criticism from us, from himself very well. He’ll get better,” Stoops said.
Speculation had been that Iowa transfer Deuce Hogan was the No. 2 quarterback before Sheron got the start.
“It’s just a matter of what Kaiya has done,” Stoops said. “It’s not anything with Deuce, it’s what Kaiya has done that led him to that spot.”
