How did Kentucky quarterback Devin Leary suddenly look like a Heisman Trophy candidate during Saturday night’s 33-27 loss to visiting Tennessee?
It was a matter of the Volunteers picking their poison.
“We went into that game very deliberate,” Tennessee third-year defensive coordinator Tim Banks said Tuesday in a news conference. “We knew what they wanted to be. I think they were leading the SEC in yards per carry, and we didn’t want to allow those guys to do that, so we made a conscious effort to take the run away.
“You’ve got to give those guys a lot of credit. Their quarterback is a veteran player and made a ton of great throws, but every game is different. Whatever the game plan needs to be to win the game is always what the game plan is, and we felt like we needed to take away the run.”
The No. 19 Vols improved to 6-2 overall and 3-2 in league play with their win in Lexington and are stepping out of conference this weekend to host Connecticut for Homecoming.