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Matchup Breakdown: How will Tennessee’s defense fare against Patrick Towles?
By Jason Hall
Published:
The Tennessee Volunteers (4-5, 1-4 SEC) host the Kentucky Wildcats (5-5, 2-5) Saturday at Neyland Stadium. The Vols are two wins from securing bowl eligibility for the first time since 2010. The Wildcats need one victory to end their own bowl drought, which began the same year.
Kentucky also looks to end its four-game losing streak. After a 5-1 start, the Wildcats have been outscored 169-75 since Oct. 18, including a 63-31 loss to No. 15 Georgia last week.
Quarterback Patrick Towles has been inconsistent in recent weeks. Aside from a career-best performance against No. 1 Mississippi State, the redshirt sophomore has struggled during Kentucky’s losing streak, throwing for under 200 yards in three games.
Still, Tennessee coach Butch Jones claims Towles — whom he recruited while at Cincinnati — will be the focus of the Vols defense on Saturday.
“Everything starts with the quarterback, Patrick Towles,” said Jones. “Know all about him. Even though he is from Kentucky, he is from Highlands but that is right across the river in Cincinnati. So we were involved in the recruitment of him. He is a winner. He has won numerous state championships. So it is going to be a great challenge for us.”
Freshman defensive end Derek Barnett will provide pressure constant pressure to Towles. Barnett leads Tennessee in sacks (7.0) and tackles for loss (14.0).
SEC leading tackler A.J. Johnson will also play a crucial role in the Vols’ success. Johnson and fellow standout linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin will excel as quarterback spies facing the mobile Towles.
Cornerback Cameron Sutton leads a talented secondary that has totaled 10 interceptions. Sutton will provide a strong matchup against Kentucky senior Demarco Robinson, who is listed as the Wildcats’ No. 1 receiver.
Tennessee will be prepared for Kentucky’s uptempo offense coming off its second bye week. The Vols defense should see a strong performance now that their offense is improved. Tennessee will be able to keep its defense rested with longer offensive possessions, rather than back them up into weak field position.
A former freelance journalist from Nashville, Jason covers Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Kentucky
