By Keith Taylor
Kentucky Today
Kentucky will be missing one of its top defensive players in the Southeastern Conference opener at South Carolina Saturday.
Linebacker Jordan Jones won’t play against the Gamecocks because of a shoulder injury. Through the first two games, Jones has compiled 13 tackles, complete with a pass breakup and a forced fumble. He led the Wildcats with 109 tackles last season.
“He will be week-to-week, it mat be a stretch (for him to) play next week (against Florida) quite honestly,” Stoops said Thursday. “He’ll play when the doctors tell him he can play. They’ve told me it’s week-to-week.”
Backup Eli Brown will start in Jones’ absence at weakside linebacker. Stoops is confident Brown can fill the void. Brown recorded a pair of tackles in wins over Southern Mississippi and Eastern Kentucky during the first two weeks of the season.
“He’s been playing good,” Stoops said. “He’s really had a solid camp, so I’m looking forward to seeing him play. I’m sure he’ll be excited and he’s going to play a bunch of snaps. He’ll have to play well for us.”
Jamar Watson, known as Boogie, will serve as a backup to Brown this weekend and possibly against the Gators.
“We have a lot of confidence in (him),” Stoops said. “He’s a guy who can play multiple positions. We’ve been working on him learning linebacker and defensive end in some predictable pass and third-down packages. He can do many things.”
Keith Taylor is sports editor for Kentucky Today. Reach him at keith.taylor@kentuckytoday.com or twitter @keithtaylor21.