Oklahoma's Banged-Up Line Is Kentucky's Opening Tonight in Norman

No. 15 Kentucky walks into Norman tonight with a 5-1 record and a chance to make a real statement on the road.

The Cats, 3-1 in the SEC, visit Oklahoma (3-2 record, 1-1 in the SEC) at Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m. ET, 5:30 p.m. MT, on SEC Network. Oklahoma opened the week as a 6.5-point favorite per DraftKings (via ESPN), with the total at 43.5.

THE INJURY REPORT TILTS TOWARD UK
Friday night's SEC availability report was rough for the Sooners. Starting left tackle Michael Fasusi, who hasn't played since Week 1 with a shoulder injury, was downgraded to doubtful, and guards Eddy Pierre-Louis and Heath Ozaeta are doubtful too. Starting cornerback Eli Bowen is out, along with LB Taylor Heim, WRs Trell Harris and Parker Livingstone, RB Xavier Robinson, TE Trynae Washington and CB Jacobe Johnson (On3, Yahoo Sports).

Our Take: a patched-together Oklahoma offensive line is the opening. If Kentucky's front can win early downs and keep the Sooners behind the chains, the noise in Norman gets a lot quieter.

UK'S STATUS CHECK
RB CJ Baxter is questionable and a true game-time decision, though On3's Pete Nakos reports there's optimism he plays. If he can't go, Jason Patterson (7.68 yards per carry, second in the SEC per On3) and Jovantae Barnes, facing his former school, carry the load. LB Alex Afari is off the report and eligible, and WR Nic Anderson and CB Hasaan Sykes were removed from the report. DL Tyler Thomas, CB Grant Grayton, LB Antwan Smith, nickel Jaden Smith and LB Tavion Wallace are out; TE Elijah Brown and DT Kalen Edwards are questionable. The final report comes an hour before kickoff.

KEYS TO THE GAME
1. Pressure the rebuilt OU line early and often.
2. Run the ball, whoever is in the backfield, and win time of possession.
3. Make the Sooners' thin secondary cover for four quarters.

WHERE TO WATCH & LISTEN
TV: SEC Network (Dave Neal, Cole Cubelic, Tori Petry)
Stream: ESPN app (with TV provider)
Radio: UK Sports Network (Tom Leach, Jeff Piecoro, Dick Gabriel); 630 WLAP and 98.1 WBUL in Lexington. Full affiliate list at ukathletics.com.
SiriusXM: channel 256

Related: Three questions for Kentucky at Oklahoma

Remembering Cliff Hagan: BBN lost a legend this week. Read our tribute to the Kentucky great, who died at 94.

We'll be live all night on Facebook, Instagram and X. Go Cats.

Sources: On3 SEC availability report, Yahoo Sports injury report, On3 on CJ Baxter, ESPN game page, UK Athletics schedule