UK football earns pair of SEC Player of the Week honors

Derrick+Baity+%238+of+the+Kentucky+Wildcats+celebrates+a+fumble+recovery+during+the+game+against+EKU+on+Saturday%2C+September+9%2C+2017%2C+in+Lexington%2C+Ky.+Kentucky+defeated+EKU+27-16.+Photo+by+Carter+Gossett+%7C+Staff

Derrick Baity #8 of the Kentucky Wildcats celebrates a fumble recovery during the game against EKU on Saturday, September 9, 2017, in Lexington, Ky. Kentucky defeated EKU 27-16. Photo by Carter Gossett | Staff

Sports Staff

After UK football picked up their biggest win of the season over the weekend at South Carolina, two UK players earned SEC Player of the Week honors, the league office announced Monday afternoon.

Derrick Baity was named SEC co-Defensive Player of the Week and Austin MacGinnis was named SEC Special Teams Player of the Week. This only the fourth time in school history that the Cats had two SEC Players of the Week, the last being in 2016.

Baity was crucial to arguably the three biggest defensive plays Kentucky had in the game. Baity came up with tackles on both of Kentucky’s fourth down stops and a game-sealing interception on the Gamecocks’ final offensive drive. 

Baity finished the game with eight tackles, the most out of any Kentucky player. Baity is third on the team with total tackles so far this season, only four tackles behind leader Darius West.

MacGinnis went 3-3 on his field goal attempts at South Carolina, with his longest being a 44-yarder that gave the Cats a 14-point lead midway through the fourth quarter. MacGinnis also did a good job following the game plan and not kicking any of his six kickoffs to dynamic kick returner Deebo Samuel.

This is MacGinnis’ third time in his career earning the SEC Special Teams Player of the Week honor.