Injury ends Williams' season

CoShik Williams, a former walk-on who climbed to the No. 1 spot on the Wildcats' running back depth chart, will miss the rest of the season with a likely career-ending injury.

Kentucky coach Joker Phillips uses a familiar coaching term when injuries arise in this program: "Next man up."

For years, Coshik Williams was that man. The former walk-on worked his way to the top spot on UK's running back depth chart thanks in part to his peer's health issues, but will now see his UK career come to an end prematurely due to his own bad break.

Phillips announced Wednesday that Williams, a fifth-year senior, will miss the rest of the season with a torn labrum in his hip. Since he's in his final year of eligibility and has already redshirted, there is no medical hardship available to him.

"I feel for him, not for us," Phillips said. "The guy has worked so hard. Everybody knows his story. He came here as a non-scholarship guy and worked his tail off to be a starter."

The Hiram, Ga., native played in UK's first two games of the season, but has been sidelined since then. He finished the season with 14 carries for 66 yards and a 4.7 average.

Kentucky plays No. 19 Mississippi State on Saturday at Commonwealth Stadium. Season-ending injuries to the Wildcats' starting quarterback, Maxwell Smith, and now their starting running back will offer an opportunity for other players to step up.

"Next man up," Phillips said. "That's the attitude you have to take. Those guys have done a good job who have been in there, Jon Jon (George) and Raymond (Sanders), and the young guy (Dyshawn Mobley) is closer to getting even more reps... If something should happen to one of those guys, and we think we can get (Justin Taylor) the type of reps that we're getting (Patrick) Towles, then he'll play. Otherwise, we won't play him."