After having a week to reset and try to clean up mistakes, Kentucky football sets its sights on the No. 21 ranked Tennessee Volunteers.
The last time the two teams met was one year ago at Neyland Stadium where the Wildcats were dominated by a score of 44-6.
The Wildcats will certainly have a sour taste in their mouths following that loss and their most recent loss to Missouri, where they let the game get away and lost by a score of 38-21.
“I felt a greater challenge because when we lost, just the way we bounced back from the Georgia loss, getting them ready and prepared for Missouri, I felt like mentally we were prepared,” Kentucky Head Coach Mark Stoops said of the team’s ability to put the loss behind it. “We got to execute better, we got to play better.”
The Volunteers will also be coming into Kroger Field with something to prove after losing to No. 9 Alabama by allowing 27 points unanswered with the score finishing 34-20 in favor of the Tide.
While worries exist about the Cats dwelling on the loss during the off week, the break did allow for some much-needed recovery time.
“I think we’re better,” Stoops said. “We’re certainly better than we were last time we took the field. We’re improving, so hopefully this week we’ll stay healthy.”
Looking at the matchup from a prospective offense, it’s no secret that senior Ray Davis will continue to be the focal point of the Wildcat offense as the passing game has struggled thus far.
Despite that, Stoops emphasized a desire to get the passing game going and not allow the team to remain so one-dimensional.
“I think guys are working hard and it’ll show up on the field,” he said. “It has. I’d like to see it more consistent.”
The passing game for the Wildcats will fall on the right arm of senior Devin Leary, who is still looking to find his footing despite being over half way through the season. Leary enters the game with 1,377 passing yards, which ranks 10th in the SEC.
The Volunteers present a challenge on offense with quarterback Joe Milton, who has thrown for 1,535 yards, which ranks 9th in the SEC.
“He has an extremely strong arm, that’s well documented,” Stoops said. “He could get the ball down the field as well as anybody that we will see. Just judging and playing the ball on deep shots.”
Another challenge the Volunteers bring offensively is a high tempo approach that can keep a defense on its heels.
“It’s about as balanced as you can get and they have a very efficient offense that’s hard to defend,” Stoops said. “I think the way they spread you out, the tempo that they use, the schemes that they use, a very talented quarterback in Joe Milton, with a ton of experience.”
The lead back for the Volunteers is junior Jaylen Wright, who has rushed for 593 yards, which ranks fourth in the SEC. Wright has also averaged 6.5 yards per carry and is only behind Davis’s 7.04 for the SEC lead.
The Volunteers have an edge on defense as they have allowed 310.9 yards per game compared to Kentucky’s 346.6 yards per game allowed. Tennessee allows 201 passing yards per game and 109.9 rushing yards to equal its 310.9 total yards.
Kentucky allows 250.9 passing yards and 95.7 rushing yards per game to shake out its 346.6 yards per game.
Despite being the away team, the Volunteers enter as 3.5-point favorites according to the spread. ESPN also has the Volunteers favored as it only gives the Wildcats a 29.1% chance to knock off the No. 21 ranked Volunteers.
Kentucky and No. 21 Tennessee will kick off from Kroger Field on Saturday, Oct. 28, at 7 p.m. ET. The game will air live on ESPN.
