SEC Kickoff: Everything you need to know for Kentucky vs. Tennessee

Here’s everything you need to know about today’s SEC East matchup between the Kentucky Wildcats and the Tennessee Volunteers.

When: Saturday, Nov. 15
Where: Knoxville, Tennessee
Game Time: 4 p.m. ET
TV: SEC Network
Current Line: Tennessee (-9)

Game Buzz: The Kentucky Wildcats (5-5, 2-5 SEC) will travel to Knoxville, Tenn., to face the Tennessee Volunteers (4-5, 1-4) at Neyland Stadium on Saturday. After opening its season 5-1, the Wildcats have lost four consecutive games beginning with their Week 8 loss to LSU. The Vols’ season has been the opposite. After a 3-5 start, Tennessee won its first SEC game in Week 10 and looks improved on offense. Quarterback Joshua Dobbs has given the Vols offense a boost in recent weeks and is coming off a career performance in a win over South Carolina his last time out.

SATURDAY DOWN SOUTH PREVIEWS

• SEC Week 12 predictions
• SEC power rankings: Week 11
• Joshua Dobbs: Saturday’s game will prove if the hype is real
• Bold Predictions: Tennessee looks to continue momentum against Kentucky 
• Mark Stoops comments on Kentucky’s recent struggles
• Nothing special about Kentucky’s special teams during losing streak
• How will Tennessee’s defense fare against Patrick Towles?
• How will Kentucky stop the Dobbs-Hurd combo?
• Vols need healthy Jalen Hurd against Kentucky

KENTUCKY WILDCATS

Players to watch:

•  QB Patrick Towles
• RB Boom Williams
• WR Javess Blue
• WR Ryan Timmons
• WR Demarco Robinson
• DE/LB Alvin “Bud” Dupree
• DE Za’Darius Smith
• LB Josh Forrest
• DB A.J. Stamps

Keys for Kentucky:

• Contain Josh Dobbs. The Tennessee offense has clicked since Dobbs took over at quarterback, and Kentucky has struggled historically against running quarterbacks. The Vols offensive line has been dreadful in pass protection this year, but Dobbs’ mobility has helped to counter that. The Wildcats may not sack Dobbs Saturday, but they need to contain him behind the line of scrimmage, forcing him to be a one-dimensional quarterback.
• Run the ball effectively with Boom Williams and company. The Tennessee defense ranks sixth in the SEC against the pass but 10th against the run, indicating Kentucky will want to establish its rushing attack early to open up the offense for quarterback Patrick Towles to attack in the second half. Boom Williams has posted two 100-yard games so far this season, and if he can break a few big plays in the first half to force the Vols to pay him extra attention, it should allow other skill players on UK’s offense the opportunity to get involved.
• Limit penalties. Kentucky is one of the most penalized teams in the SEC, averaging more than 50 penalty yards per game this season. The Wildcats cannot afford to play behind the chains against a talented UT defense, and they can’t afford to let Dobbs and the Vols offense play ahead of the chains. These are two evenly matched teams, meaning Kentucky cannot give Tennessee any easy advantages or it might cost the Cats a victory in their SEC finale.

Wildcats’ glaring weakness to watch: The front seven’s ability to slow down dual-threat quarterbacks. LSU’s Anthony Jennings ran for more yards against Kentucky than he has in any other SEC game this season, and Mississippi State’s Dak Prescott torched the Cats with his legs in their meeting last month. Kentucky has a few dangerous pass rushers along its defensive line, but it must prove it can play disciplined football in the front seven if it hopes to keep Dobbs from wreaking havoc on Saturday.

Most interesting part of this game: Kentucky has only beaten Tennessee once in the last 30 years, and for much of that time UT was the premier program in the SEC while Kentucky scuttled at the bottom of the standings. Now these two teams are eerily similar, and both have similar stakes in Saturday’s game (bowl eligibility, late-season momentum, etc.). It will be interesting to see if Kentucky can take advantage of its opportunity on Saturday and stay ahead Tennessee in the SEC East standings, something it’s not been able to do until recently.

Team buzz: Panic is beginning to set in throughout the Bluegrass with basketball season upon us and the football team still stuck at five wins. Kentucky has lost four straight games by double figures and is running out of chances to clinch bowl eligibility. There’s not as much buzz around the team as there is uneasiness, but that could all change with a win in Neyland Stadium.

TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS

Players to watch: 

• QB Joshua Dobbs
• RB Jalen Hurd
• WR Alton “Pig” Howard
• WR Von Pearson
• TE Ethan Wolf
• DE Derek Barnett
• LB A.J. Johnson
• LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin
• CB Cameron Sutton

Keys for Tennessee:

• Joshua Dobbs must have a repeat performance. Dobbs became the first quarterback in school history to record 300 passing yards and 100 rushing yards in the same game during Tennessee’s win against South Carolina. In two appearances, Dobbs has looked comfortable as a dual-threat option in the Vols “multiple” (read option) uptempo offense. Tennessee’s offense should see a repeat performance following its season-best 645-yard performance in Week 10.
• Jalen Hurd must continue progress. Prior to his shoulder “stinger” suffered against Florida, Hurd set a new season-best rushing total in each game. After seeing limited carries during his recovery, Hurd set a new career-high with 125 rushing yards and seven catches for 58 yards and a touchdown against South Carolina. The freshman should see a solid performance facing a Kentucky defense that’s struggled to stop the run in recent weeks.
• Derek Barnett needs to pressure Patrick Towles. Butch Jones praised Patrick Towles’ elusiveness during his weekly press conference earlier this week. Towles is a pro-style quarterback that possesses the ability to take off and run. Freshman standout Derek Barnett leads Tennessee with seven sacks and 14 tackles for loss. Barnett will need to apply content pressure to Towles in order to prevent big plays.

Volunteers’ glaring weakness to watch: Offensive line. Though they’ve looked improved in recent weeks, Tennessee’s offensive line remains its glaring weakness. The o-line has allowed 32 sacks, ranking No. 118 overall. Though Dobbs’ mobility has helped limited sacks allowed, the offensive line still lacks experience.

Most interesting part of this game: Can Tennessee take a step forward in its quest for bowl eligibility? The Vols are two games from ending their bowl drought that began in 2010.

Team buzz: After weeks of struggling, Tennessee’s offense looks improved. The Vols have a dual-threat option at quarterback who is capable of changing the course of a game. Tennessee’s defense will be well rested coming off a bye week and  should see a solid performance.

Ethan Levine

A former newspaper reporter who has roamed the southeastern United States for years covering football and eating way too many barbecue ribs, if there is such a thing.