Darrin Kirkland Jr. (34) plays middle linebacker for Tennessee. The Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles visited the Tennessee Volunteers in NCAA football action at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville on November 5, 2016.KNOXVILLE – Tennessee won’t be surprised when Kentucky lines up either running back Stanley “Boom” Williams or Benny Snell Jr. at quarterback in the wildcat formation Saturday.
The question is whether the Volunteers will be the first Wildcats’ opponent to stop it consistently.
There are no secrets or bells and whistles to Kentucky’s favorite formation, but that won’t make it any easier for Tennessee and its leaky run defense and depleted defensive line to stop it.
“(Coach Butch) Jones said I needed to eat my Wheaties,” Vols defensive tackle Kendal Vickers said Tuesday. “It’ll be a fun game. We know what they do, they know what we do, and at the end of the day it comes down to who executes better.”
Kentucky is on the brink of its first bowl berth since 2010 and its first winning conference record since 1977 and remains in the SEC East race in large part due to Williams and Snell, the fourth- and seventh-leading rushers in the SEC. The two combine to average nearly 186 yards per game and 6.4 yards per carry behind an offensive line with one senior and three juniors.