KENTUCKY (5-4, 4-3 SEC) AT TENNESSEE (6-3, 2-3)
Noon * Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, Tenn. * SEC Network/106.5 FM
Tennessee Tech’s Austin Hicks (81) is surrounded by Tennessee’s LaTroy Lewis (4), Kendal Vickers (39) and Darrin Kirkland Jr. (34). The Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles visited the Tennessee Volunteers in NCAA football action at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville on November 5, 2016.THE MATCHUP
It’s all about stopping the run for Tennessee, but it’s easier said than done. The Vols are severely depleted in the interior of the defensive line, and Kentucky has a veteran offensive line and two dynamic running backs in Stanley “Boom” Williams and Benny Snell Jr.
In their past four games the Wildcats ran it on Vanderbilt (258), Mississippi State (262), Missouri (377) and Georgia (186) and will give the Vols a heavy dose of the wildcat formation. Tennessee must play well on first down to keep Kentucky behind the chains.
“The best thing we can do is stop the run,” defensive line coach Steve Stripling said. “That’ll help our pass (rush) come maybe later in the game. They’re going to be very comfortable to just keep it close, hand it off and do those type things. We’ve got to do a really thorough job of stopping the run to get them into pass-rush situations.”
Tennessee quarterback Joshua Dobbs (11) picks up yardage. The Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles visited the Tennessee Volunteers in NCAA football action at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville on November 5, 2016.ONE TO WATCH
The Vols could get a boost on both sides of the ball with the possible returns of running back Alvin Kamara and cornerback Cameron Sutton, but as is always the case Tennessee will go as quarterback Josh Dobbs does. If he again plays well against Kentucky, the Wildcats will be glad to see him gone.
Tennessee’s won 30 of the past 31 meetings with the Wildcats and the senior is 3-0 against Kentucky. In those three games he averaged nearly 300 yards of offense and scored 11 touchdowns.
“I look to play well every time I step on the field,” he said. “My past performances versus a certain opponent don’t dictate future performances. I have to go out and prepare at a high level if I want to play well again this week.”
Dobbs was awful against South Carolina and rebounded in a flawless and abbreviated showing against Tennessee Tech. Which version shows up?
Tennessee’s Josh Smith (25) congratulates Josh Malone (3) after Malone scored the Vols’s first touchdown. The Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles visited the Tennessee Volunteers in NCAA football action at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville on November 5, 2016.IN THE END
With Florida looking shambolic on offense ahead of facing upstart South Carolina (and former coach Will Muschamp) and a daunting trip to LSU, this game has serious SEC East title implications. The winner might be in the driver’s seat, but the loser is definitely out of the race with two weeks left. It’s essentially a playoff game.
“We’ve got to take care of what we can control,” Vols defensive tackle Kendal Vickers said. “We control what we control. We’ve just got to go out there and handle our business, and at the end of the day, if we handle our business we’ll be in the right spot where we want to be.”
The team able to avoid turnovers – the SEC’s two most turnover-prone teams have combined for 42 – should nab the pivotal win.
PREDICTION: TENNESSEE 34, KENTUCKY 27