By Josh Huff

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UK football takes on University of Tennessee-Martin Saturday, and the Cats will field a roster with some familiar faces and a fair share of newcomers. While players such as seniors Bud Dupree and Ashley Lowery are expected to have an impact, others will need to rise to the occasion if they intend to prove themselves.

With that said, the five players who need to play well for the Cats to be successful are as follows:

Senior offensive tackle Jordan Swindle

Swindle will be in charge of protecting sophomore quarterback Patrick Towles’ blindside with senior Darrian Miller suspended one game for violation of team rules. Swindle is the unequivocal leader of the offense, exhibiting toughness and competitiveness, and he will have to be at his best. Towles needs the offensive line to become the impenetrable force that they weren’t last season, when they gave up 27 sacks on the year.

Junior safety A.J. Stamps

The Cats’ defensive backs ended last season with only one interception, worst of all defenses in the SEC. But this offseason, coach Mark Stoops looked to bolster the backfield with the addition of Stamps. The junior college transfer switched from cornerback to safety and will play opposite Lowery. In 2013, while playing for East Mississippi, Stamps had four interceptions and nine pass break-ups. Stamps should have a field day against UT-Martin’s inexperienced receiving corp. The top four SkyHawk receivers departed during the offseason, taking their combined 169 receptions with them.

Junior running back Braylon Heard

Heard, a transfer from Nebraska, averaged 5.9 yards per carry during the 2011 and 2012 seasons for the Cornhuskers. He brings with him experience and a versatile combination of speed, power and moves. Splitting time with returning sophomore JoJo Kemp, the duo will provide a one-two punch that should open up the passing lanes for Towles.

Sophomore defensive end Jason Hatcher

Stoops made same changes to the depth chart before the UT-Martin game, moving Dupree from the defensive end position to strong-side linebacker and moving Hatcher up into the starting role. Depending on the personnel that UT-Martin throws at the Cats, Hatcher will see significant playing time Saturday. He had 19 tackles and a pair of sacks last season playing backup to Dupree.

Sophomore quarterback Patrick Towles

Towles outright won the starting quarterback job and his sharp fall camp needs to translate into gameday success. The Cats are not entirely sure what schemes the SkyHawks will throw at them, so Towles will need to be prepared for anything and make the most of everything. If he struggles early, look for Stoops to turn to back-up redshirt freshman Reese Phillips. But with a vastly improved receiving core, Towles should be able to pick and choose his targets fairly easily.