Tennessee vs Kentucky: Battle For The Beer Barrel
By Kyle Schmidt
Saturday, the Tennessee Volunteers and Kentucky Wildcats will meet for the 114th time. To keep bowl hopes alive, this is a must-win game for the Volunteers.
Tennessee vs Kentucky is one of the oldest rivalries in college football and has been largely dominated by the Volunteers. However, this season, the Wildcats are ranked #11 and find themselves favored to win by five points at Neyland Stadium. If Kentucky is able to pull off the win, it will be their first win on the Vols home field since 1984.
Offense
On the offensive side of the ball, the Wildcats are a very run-heavy team. At this point in the season, they have 373 rushing attempts compared to only 205 passing attempts.
The Kentucky rushing attack is led by Junior running back Benny Snell Jr. Snell has 199 carries for 1008 yards and 10 touchdowns, making him the rushing leader in the SEC and ninth in the entire FBS.
In order for Tennessee to have a chance to win this game, they are going to have to find a way to slow down Benny Snell Jr. The Vols have struggled all season to slow down the run and the Wildcats will be looking to exploit their run defense.
Kentucky’s passing game, on the other hand, hasn’t been much of a threat this season. Sophomore quarterback Terry Wilson has completed 123/182 attempts for 1214 yards, 6 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions. Wilson has also been sacked 17 times this season.
Defense
Defensively, the Wildcats are ranked #15 in the FBS allowing only 311.8 yards/game. Teams that have had success against this stingy Kentucky defense have done it through the air. They allow an average of 178.56 yards/game passing compared to only 133.2 yards/game on the ground.
Kentucky has gotten to the quarterback 22 times so far this season and the defensive line will be looking to have a big day against the embattled offensive line of the Volunteers.
The leading tackler for the Wildcats is Senior safety Darius West. West has 60 tackles, 3 interceptions, and a fumble recovery.
When it comes to getting to the quarterback and stopping the run, no one has been better for Kentucky than Senior linebacker Josh Allen. Allen has 59 total tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, 5 forced fumbles, and 2 fumble recoveries. Tennessee is going to have to somehow find a way to slow down Allen or he is going to have a monster day against the Volunteers.
In spite of the fact that Tennessee has not lost to Kentucky at home in 34 years, all signs point to that streak coming to an end this year. In order for the Volunteers to get a win Saturday and keep their bowl hopes alive, they are going to have to dig down deep and find a way to get it done.
The key to this game for Tennessee is controlling the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. On offense, they are going to have to open up running lanes and figure out a way to protect Jarrett Guarantano.
On defense, they are going to have to find a way to slow down the run and force Kentucky to beat them through the air.
One thing is certain, if Tennessee’s defense can’t find a way to slow down Benny Snell Jr and keep him out of the end zone, it will be a long miserable day for all of Volunteer Nation.