3 problematic Kentucky players vs. Texas

This upcoming weekend, the Kentucky Wildcats and longtime head coach Mark Stoops travel down to Austin to face No. 3 Texas football at DKR on Nov. 23. For the final time this regular season, Texas seniors and draft-eligible players planning to enter the NFL Draft pool next spring will play a game at DKR this fall.

Texas football preparing for a tricky Kentucky team coming to Austin in Week 13

Expect Kentucky to give Texas everything it has, with a defensive side of the ball and special teams that have given multiple other ranked SEC opponents struggles this season.

Despite the Wildcats having just a 1-6 record in conference play this season, this is not a Kentucky team to be taken lightly by head coach Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns. Texas's seniors will what to give everything they have as many of them are playing in front of the crowd of the Longhorns faithful at DKR for the final time this weekend.

Texas's final two games on the regular season schedule, against Kentucky at home this weekend and the rival Texas A&M Aggies on Nov. 30 on the road in College Station, will determine its postseason and SEC title game fate.

Here are three problematic Kentucky players the Longhorns will face this weekend.

Deone Walker, DT

Kentucky's defensive front is nothing to mess around with. Despite some of its top players along the front seven being banged up this fall, Kentucky still has some experienced disruptors up front at defensive tackle and the linebacker position.

Led by junior defensive tackle Deone Walker and senior linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson, Kentucky has a defense capable of being one the top-half units in the SEC this fall.

The 6-foot-6 and 345-pound Walker is capable of single-handedly blowing up plays in the opposing team's backfield. Walker's numbers are technically down from where they were last fall, but he's still one of the most disruptive and versatile defensive tackles in the SEC.

When Walker is feeling it, he can effectively two-gap and plug running gaps along the interior of the line of scrimmage. He is tied for second in the SEC among defensive tackles in run stops and third in run stuffs (per PFF).

Walker's best attribute as a disruptive presence along Kentucky's interior defensive line is his pass-rushing ability. Since 2023, he has nine sacks and a team-high 67 quarterback pressures.

Injuries this season have thinned out Kentucky's depth along the interior defensive line. But Walker is still an impactful enough presence for Kentucky's D-Line to make a difference against Texas's ground game and pocket for the passing game with Quinn Ewers.