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After a promising 4-1 start, Kentucky has dropped two straight and needs a win Saturday to have any chance at posting its first winning season in the SEC since 1977.
A victory also would push the Wildcats one win closer to bowl eligibility for the first time since the 2010 season.
The five Wildcats will have to play well in order to beat Tennessee:
1. QB Patrick Towles: Without a doubt, Towles is the player to watch the rest of the season. It remains to be seen how the junior will respond after being benched last week for freshman QB Drew Barker. Towles hasn’t thrown a TD pass in two games. That streak has to end Saturday. At least he has the support of Kentucky faithful.
Amongst Kentucky's issues, Quarterback is not high on my list tonight…some much bigger problems to fix over next 5 games
— Matt Jones (@KySportsRadio) October 25, 2015
No Drew does not need more time to play, it's Pats team. We sucked tonight, no easy way to put it. Regroup and get ready for Tenn. #BBN
— jared lorenzen (@JaredLorenzen22) October 25, 2015
2. DE Denzil Ware: It’s doesn’t matter how well Towles plays if the defense repeats last week’s performance. Dak Prescott accounted for six TDs. He’s a better dual-threat QB than Tennessee’s Joshua Dobbs, but Dobbs showed how dangerous he can be against Georgia. Kentucky will have to set the edge, and that starts with Denzil Ware with DE Jason Hatcher questionable again Saturday.
3. S A.J. Stamps: Everybody from freshmen to seniors, defensive line to the secondary needs to play better Saturday. Stamps got beat several times last week, but the most detrimental was his missed tackle on RB Brandon Halloway’s 63-yard reception that effectively put the game away. Back end mistakes must be eliminated against Tennessee.
4. DT Cory Johnson: Johnson has shown flashes of being a disruptive force. In the OT victory against Eastern Kentucky in early October, Johnson recorded a game-high 19 tackles, including 2.5 tackles for loss and one sack. Nobody expects 19 tackles from a DT, but Kentucky needs him to be more consistent.
5. RB Stanley Willliams: With 208 total yards in the past two weeks, Williams is the easiest name to put on this list. Kentucky’s QB issues have limited Williams’ touches and impact. If the Wildcats can get him 20 or more carries, that bodes well for their upset chances Saturday.
