Chip Cosby on UK football

Kentucky’s Oct. 31 Homecoming game against Mississippi State will kick off at 7 p.m. The game will be telecast by Fox Sports Network.

Kentucky senior linebacker Micah Johnson was named SEC Defensive Player of the Week for his 14-tackle performance in UK’s 21-14 win at Auburn Saturday.

-Randall Cobb and John Conner will be game captains, joining permanent captains Zipp Duncan and Corey Peters.

-The “Cat Walk” has been set for 4:15 CST (5:15 EST). Those wishing to participate should meet at the Northeast corner of Jordan-Hare Stadium, near lot P along Duncan Drive.

-The University of Kentucky Alumni Association will host a pre-game tailgate party at 4 p.m. CST on Woodfield Drive off College Street on the Auburn campus. The cost is $10 for UKAA members and $15 for non-members and game day walkups. To make your reservation, visit www.ukalumni.net/tailgate and click the ‘registration’ button on the webpage or call 1-800-269-ALUM or 859-257-7161.

-Finally, I want to thank Ashley Schaeffner at Guthrie-Mayes and the folks at Verizon Wireless for introducing me to Rhapsody, the music downloading application. I’ll be making the 8-hour drive to Auburn on Friday, and this will make my ride much, much smoother.

Two injured starters could return to action for Kentucky on Saturday. Cornerback Paul Warford (quadriceps) and offensive lineman Justin Jeffries (Achilles) made it through practice Thursday and will make the trip. Brooks said Warford, who has missed the last two games, would likely be a game-time decision. Jeffries missed the South Carolina game after getting hurt against Alabama.

Kentucky Coach Rich Brooks said on Thursday that he wouldn’t reveal UK’s starting quarterback for Saturday’s game at Auburn until his team hit the field. Brooks did say it was likely that both true freshman Morgan Newton and junior Will Fidler would play.

University of Kentucky junior quarterback Mike Hartline does not have an ACL injury and could conceivably return by the end of the season, Coach Rich Brooks announced at his weekly press conference on Monday.

Hartline does have an torn MCL and a slight PCL tear along with a slight cartilage tear Hartline will undergo non-surgical treatment for several weeks to allow the MCL to heal, and then doctors must determine if he can play with the torn cartilage.

Kentucky senior defensive tackle Corey Peters has been named SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week for his 2.5 sack performance against South Carolina. Also, UK’s Oct. 24 home game against Louisiana-Monroe has been set for a 7 p.m. kickoff and will be televised by Fox Sports Network.

As of Sunday, there was still no official word on the knee injury of Kentucky quarterback Mike Hartline. Hartline got an MRI after returning home from UK’s 28-26 loss to South Carolina, but the results aren’t expected to be known until Monday.

Brooks said the preliminary diagnosis suggests an injury to Hartline’s MCL. If it’s just an MCL injury, Hartline could miss anywhere from 2-4 weeks. If there’s an ACL injury and/or cartilage damage, Hartline would likely miss the rest of the season.

Regardless, Hartline will definitely be out for Saturday’s game at Auburn.

Starting right tackle Justin Jeffries (Achilles) will not make the trip for the South Carolina game. Junior Brad Durham will start in Jeffries’ place. He joins two other injured starters who will miss the game, senior cornerback Trevard Lindley (ankle) and junior corner Paul Warford (quadriceps).

Sophomore linebacker Danny Trevathan missed his second straight practice with flu-like symptoms but is expected to play.

Kentucky junior cornerback Paul Warford has been ruled out for Saturday’s game at South Carolina with a quadriceps injury. Warford also missed the Alabama game last week. The Wildcats will also be without All-SEC corner Trevard Lindley, who has a sprained ankle. Sophomore Randall Burden and true freshman Martavious Neloms will be the starting cornerbacks for South Carolina.

Also, sophomore Danny Trevathan missed Wednesday’s practice with flu symptoms. Right tackle Justin Jeffries (Achilles) also missed practice but Coach Rich Brooks said he hopes Jeffries can play this week.