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While Kentucky fans were mostly satisfied with the Cats' season-opening 45-13 win over Youngstown State, there were a few imperfections. Most notably the pass defense. Kentucky allowed 243 yards of offense through the air and, while part of that was a tradeoff in limiting 2025 Walter Payton Award winner Beau Brungard to just 28 yards on the ground and part of that was Will Stein being deeply unhappy with the hustle of his team at times, a third part of the equation was health. That's because two defensive starters, Hasaan Sykes and Terhyon Nichols, both of whom were expected to start at corner, weren't available for the contest. A UK spokesperson confirmed that both talents were 'OUT' for the game. Luckily, Stein confirmed after the win that neither injury is expected to be long-term. "No, not long-term," Stein said. "Some stuff that (they) just kind of dealt with over the last month or so. Fall camp blues a little bit." During fall camp, there had been rumblings of some battered corners and, as it would turn out, that carried over into the season opener. Stein would clarify that he is "expecting" Sykes to be back for the Alabama game, though Nichols garnered a "we'll see." After being more tentative regarding Nichols, Stein reiterated, "Hasaan should be ready to roll." While Sykes and Nichols were perhaps the most glaring unexpected absence from the dominant offensive win over Youngstown State, they weren't the only two who just missed the cut. Expected starting tackle Malachi Wood, the lone returnee expected to start on the O-Line, also didn't suit up against the Penguins after being a game-time decision. Instead, Kentucky moved Olaus Alinen over to tackle and started Jordan Knox at guard, which seemed to work well thanks to the position flex both players bring to the table. For Wood, though, the update was also quite positive. "Malachi's going to be ready to roll," Stein said. "He could have played. Kind of got tangled up early in practice Monday, which was a complete freak deal. Nothing structurally wrong, but just some bruising in his calf. "We feel like Olaus can go out there and play this game," Stein continued. "We didn't want to jeopardize Malachi for the future, so he'll be completely active for this next game." Well, two out of three ain't bad, as they say. The uncertainty surrounding Nichols is concerning, especially for a talent that defensive coordinator Jay Bateman seemed very high on before adding, "Let's get him to the gate for 12 races," to The Cats' Pause, but the anticipated returns of Wood and Sykes to starting roles is sure to benefit the Cats during a tough week two matchup. That's because, to kick off SEC play, Kentucky is slated to welcome No. 13 Alabama into Kroger Field on Saturday, Sept. 12. Regardless, that game is slated to kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET and will air live on ABC. At least for now, Sykes and Wood are expected to participate in that SEC opener while Nichols will continue working in hopes of joining them.