Looking to bounce back from its tough home loss last week to Georgia, UK is heading to Knoxville, T.N. for its annual match up with the Tennessee Volunteers on Saturday, with a win making the Cats bowl eligible.

Eight weeks ago this game was shaping up to be a blowout, with the Vols at 3-0 and in the top-10 of the polls and the Cats at 1-2 and struggling to beat New Mexico State. But in the last eight weeks, things have drastically changed.

Over that time, the Vols have gone 3-3 and said goodbye to any hope they had of getting to the playoff as well as their leading rusher Jalen Hurd. Hurd announced that he was transferring following the team’s loss at South Carolina.

And in that same time period, the Cats have gone 4-2 and entered the hectic race for the SEC East, but now in week 11, the two teams are set to face off.

The Vols are coming off of a 55-0 beat down of Tennessee Tech and UK is coming off its tough home loss to Georgia. And despite the fact that the Cats are playing better football and the Vols are a different team than they were at the beginning of the year, they are currently favored by 14.

It is no secret that the Vols have one of the most talented rosters in college football, and it is a distinct possibility that they are somewhat back on the right track, and head coach Mark Stoops is well aware that this could be the case.

“I see a very good team that is very talented. They have been banged up, but they had the bye week and they came back last week and played like they are capable of,” Stoops said. “They had a big win last week and probably ready to play some very good football again.”

Although the Vols may be playing well again, it will be crucial for the Cats to expose Tennessee’s run defense which has allowed 191.7 yards per game. Not only will it keep the Joshua Dobbs off the field, but it will also allow UK to keep Vols stud defensive lineman Derek Barnett at-bay.

Barnett has the ability to completely take over the game, especially if UK finds themselves trailing and is forced to throw the ball. With 14.5 tackles for loss, and 9.0 sacks, Barnett and how UK deals with him will play a big part come Saturday.

A victory would give UK its sixth win and keep them in second place in the SEC East. And even with the difficult road test that lies ahead for the Cats, the team has confidence in its abilities and feels like it can head down to Rocky Top and compete.

“The next game is very important to us all,” cornerback J.D. Harmon said earlier this week. “I feel like this week we have had great preparation and we are putting ourselves in a good position to win. To get this win is just as important as any week – Getting to six wins and beating Tennessee is a double bonus and I feel like our guys understand that.”