Big Challenge Awaits On Saturday
Following their bye week, the Kentucky football team starts the home stretch of the 2022 season. They’ll face two teams in the top five over the next five weeks. Up first Mark Stoops’ club heads down Interstate 75 for a battle against the Vols. Can the Cats spring the upset? Let’s break it down and give you a prediction as Kentucky faces a tough test against Tennessee.
Finally Getting Healthy
For the Wildcats the bye week couldn’t have come at a better time. Coming off a ten-point win over Mississippi State UK had one of its best efforts in the second half. Quarterback Will Levis already had a turf toe injury and hurt his shoulder against the Bulldogs. Stoops said the potential first-round pick needed some time and some rest.
In addition, two other starters on the offense should be back for the showdown in Knoxville. Wide receiver Tayvion Robinson and left tackle Jeremy Flax missed the previous game with leg injuries. With both returning offensive coordinator, Rich Scangarello’s offense is finally close to full strength.
One player who won’t be available for Saturday is linebacker Jacquez Jones. The “Super Senior” has missed the previous three games with a leg injury. Stoops said he’s definitely out for this and next week. In his absence, D’Eryk Jackson who’s done a really good job gets another start.
They need everyone healthy as Kentucky faces a tough test on Saturday. Let’s talk about the high-powered Tennessee squad.
Scouting The Volunteers
Tennessee heads into Saturday with a 7-0 record. It’s the first time they’ve started 7-0 since 1998 and if you follow history that’s the last time they won the national championship. With the possible exception of Ohio State no one’s playing better on offense than Josh Heupel’s squad. Tennessee leads the nation in points per game and yards per game averaging 50.1 and 517 respectively. They’ve scored at least 34 points in every contest this year and only twice have they been held under 40. In case you hadn’t heard two weeks ago UT broke a 15-game losing streak to Alabama in a 52-49 win.
The offense is led by quarterback Hendon Hooker, who’s a definite Heisman contender. So far in 2022, he’s completed 71 percent of his passes for 2,093 yards and 18 touchdowns. In addition, he’s only been picked off once. Hooker’s also run for 315 yards and three scores. Another incredible stat is Tennessee ranks 121st in the nation in time of possession at 27 minutes. However, they are 42nd in total plays and run a play every 21 seconds.
Hooker’s favorite target is junior Jalin Hyatt, who ranks second in the SEC with 40 receptions. Furthermore, he leads the SEC in receiving yards with 769 and the nation with 12 touchdowns. Behind Hyatt Bru McCoy is second with 24 catches and two touchdowns. Cedric Tillman ranks third on the club with 17 catches in only three games. As if they needed more weapons he could return from injury Saturday.
UT is also good at running the ball as Jaylen Wright and Jabari Small have combined for 808 yards and 12 touchdowns. Overall they rank 24th in the nation with 203 yards a game a sixth in touchdowns with 23.
Now that we’ve previewed both teams let’s look at the rivalry through the years.
Series History And Last Time They Met
If you are a Tennessee fan the rivalry is pretty sweet. However, if you are part of the Big Blue Nation not so much. Overall the Big Orange leads 82-26 with nine ties and they’ve won 34 of the last 37. Of course, they won 26 straight from 1985-2010 however Kentucky’s won two of the last five, which could be considered as progress.
Last year Kentucky gained 612 yards, won the turnover battle 4-1 and still lost 45-42. Hooker threw for 316 yards, four touchdowns, and a ridiculous quarterback rating of 273.7. On the other side of the ball, Levis threw for 372 yards and three scores. However, he did have a pick-six that put Tennessee up 10 when the Cats were trying to take the lead.
The last time they met in Knoxville the Cats won in Neyland Stadium for the first time since 1984. In that game, UK’s defense ran two interceptions back for touchdowns in a dominating 34-7 win.
Kentucky faces a tough test on Saturday. The question now is can they shock the world?
Who Wins On Saturday?
In 2018 and again last year Tennessee kept Kentucky from a possible Peach Bowl bid by knocking off the Cats. Now with UT slotted to the playoff Kentucky has the chance to play spoiler. It’s going to take a near-perfect performance by Stoops’ Troops in order to spring the upset. A battle of a strong offense versus a strong defense always makes for an interesting game. This one is no exception.
.@Vol_Football has scored 30+ points in 10 straight games…longest streak in program history.
.@UKFootball has allowed 24 or fewer points in 11 straight games…longest active streak in FBS.
— Cole Cubelic (@colecubelic) October 26, 2022
The last team to score more than 24 points against Kentucky was of course Tennessee last year. The key to a Wildcat win is to keep the Vols off the field. Look for tons of ball control with Chris Rodriguez who ran for 197 yards in the Mississippi State win. In addition, they can’t turn the ball over and have no mistakes in the kicking game. Do all of that and they’ve definitely got a chance. In the end, the Vols’ offense is too much and their magical season continues.
Tennessee 42-28
Come back to Last Word On College Football for a complete wrap-up as Kentucky faces a tough test against Tennessee. In addition, we’ll have updated bowl projections.
