UK Football’s Baity, MacGinnis Earn SEC Player of Week Honors

Kentucky junior cornerback Derrick Baity Jr. and senior kicker Austin MacGinnis were named Southeastern Conference Defensive Player of the Week and Special Teams Player of the Week, respectively, for their standout performances in Saturday’s 23-13 victory at South Carolina, the league announced on Monday.
This is the fourth time in school history that Kentucky has had at least two players honored for the same game. In 2007, linebacker Wesley Woodyard was SEC Defensive Player of the Week and guard Jason Leger was SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week following a win at Arkansas, while the Cats earned multiple honors in their 2016 victories over Mississippi State and at Louisville.
Baity, from Tampa, Fla., was responsible for three takeaways in the game, including making the initial stop on a pair of critical 4th-and-1’s in the second half and an interception on South Carolina’s final possession. On the first possession of the third quarter, on 4th-and-1 from the UK 49-yard line, he crashed from the corner to tackle running back A.J. Turner, who was brought down for no gain; the change of possession set up a UK drive for a field goal. Later, he again crashed from the corner to tackle running back Rico Dowdle, who was brought down for no gain to give the ball back to the Wildcats.

MacGinnis, a Wedowee, Ala. native, drilled three field goals in the win, making him 6-of-7 on the season. Also, his six pinpoint kickoffs kept the ball out of the hands of Gamecock return ace Deebo Samuel and consistently helped the Cats control the field position battle. This is the third time he’s been honored as SEC Special Teams Player of the Week.
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