CoShik Williams out, Mobley and Sanders in

Kentucky will be fighting to win their first game of the season on Saturday against Kent State, and they’ll be forced to do it without senior starting tailback CoShik Williams. Joker Phillips announced earlier today that Williams has been struggling with back spasms and will be taking some brief time off to recuperate. He’ll be replaced in the lineup by junior Raymond Sanders, while freshman Dyshawn Mobley may also see some touches according to Phillips.

As Kentucky vies for its first victory of the season, CoShik Williams will be sorely missed. In the season opener against Louisville, he ran for 62 yards on 10 carries, and grabbed 21 yards through the air on three catches. Williams will certainly leave a gap in the offense, but Raymond Sanders is an adequate replacement until CoShik is ready to take the field again. Sanders ran for 38 yards on three touches against the Cardinals, also pulling in three catches for 23 yards.

Freshman Dyshawn Mobley will almost certainly get some touches as well, despite his recent outburst on Twitter. Mobley took to the social networking platform to express his displeasure about a lack of playing time against Louisville. His complaints were probably ignored, but he’s going to see some time on the field regardless, because he’s the next-best option. He had a single reception for a lone one yard gain against Louisville.

Resting Williams against Kent State is a smart move by the staff. He’s much more useful if he’s healthy against the powerhouse SEC teams later down the schedule. Kent State is one of the easier opponents Kentucky will be facing, and may be Joker’s only chance to leave his starting tailback on the bench without serious repercussions.

“[CoShik] is a tough guy, no doubt about that,” Phillips told media earlier today. “We have to have him for is the long haul. I’m not taking these guys for granted by any means, but we need CoShik full speed. He’s not a real big guy and he needs to be full speed. He busts his butt on every play, whether it’s practice or a game. We just have to make sure we take care of him and get him to the field healthy.”

The last thing Kentucky needs are injury woes. They are going to have plenty of struggles without adding injuries to the list. Hopefully CoShik will recover quickly and reintegrate into the lone bright spot the team has showcased this year, the offense.