Octavious Oxendine, Alex Raynor Earn SEC Player of the Week Honors

Kentucky seniors Octavious Oxendine and Alex Raynor each took home Southeastern Conference Player of the Week honors for their critical performances in Kentucky’s upset of No. 6/5 Ole Miss on Saturday, the Cats’ highest Associated Press ranked road victory on an SEC campus.

Oxendine, a defensive lineman from Radcliff, Kentucky, was named SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week. He notched a pair of sacks, giving him 7.5 for his career, as UK held Ole Miss’s high-powered aerial attack mostly under wraps. The Rebels entered the game as the top-ranked scoring offense, passing offense and total offense in FBS but were held significantly below their season averages.

Oxendine’s highlights included:

• Made three tackles, including a career-high two quarterback sacks (-10 yards), and added a QB hurry in Kentucky’s 20-17 upset at No. 6/5 Ole Miss
• In the first quarter, his third-down sack forced a punt
• Late in the second quarter, another sack coaxed the Rebels to let the clock run out on the first half
• With Ole Miss entering the game leading the nation in scoring (55 points per game), total offense (670.8 yards per game) and passing offense (422.8 yards per game), Oxendine helped lead a defense that limited the Rebels to 17 points (38 below their average), 353 total yards (317.8 below their average) and 261 passing yards (161.8 below their average)

Raynor, from Kennesaw, Georgia, was named SEC Special Teams Player of the Week after drilling a pair of field goals, including a 48-yarder. He now has made 14 consecutive field goal attempts, extending his school record, which he first set with 12 straight in the Ohio game. He also owns the UK school record for field goal percentage at .955 (21-of-22). Against UK’s two top-10 opponents this season, he is 6-of-6.

Raynor’s highlights against Ole Miss include:

• Made both field goal attempts and both extra point tries, providing crucial points in Kentucky’s 20-17 upset at No. 6/5 Ole Miss
• Connected on field goals of 27 and 48 yards
• Has made all 11 field goal attempts this season, most in the nation for any kicker without a miss, and also has made every extra point
• Extended his school-record streak of 14 consecutive field goals dating back to last season
• 14 straight also is a personal best, previously 13 in a row while at Georgia Southern

Kentucky has its first of two bye weeks this season this week before hosting Vanderbilt on Oct. 12 at Kroger Field.