Halftime analysis: The three things Kentucky must do to beat Tennessee
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Game day: Kentucky 34, Tennessee 7
Click below for more of the Herald-Leader’s and Kentucky.com’s coverage of Saturday’s Kentucky-Tennessee football game at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn.
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With Kentucky leading Tennessee 17-7 at halftime at Neyland Stadium, here are the three things that will determine whether or not the Wildcats win the game:
1. Keep making Tennessee pass. For the season’s first two weeks, Kentucky could not force a turnover. Over the past three halves, UK can’t stop forcing TOs. After picking off six Mississippi State passes last week, UK has three first-half picks, two of which Kelvin Joseph (41 yards) and Jamin Davis (85) returned for touchdowns.
Added to Jordan Wright’s pick-six that ended last week’s victory over MSU, Kentucky scored three straight TDs on interception returns.
2. Tighten up the run defense. After throwing the three interceptions, Tennessee play caller Jim Chaney ran the ball on 14 of 16 plays on the ensuing UT possession. That ended with the Volunteers’ lone TD of the first half.
UK seeing run-stopping nose guard Quinton Bohanna helped off the field following an injury during that drive did not help.
Tennessee ended the first half with 112 yards rushing, 93 of it from backup running back Eric Gray.
3. Get some offense going. With its defense scoring touchdowns, the UK offense hasn’t spent much time on the field. Given a short field by UK’s third interception — Tyrell Ajian at the UT 37 — the Wildcats offense failed to punch it in when Keaton Upshaw dropped what should have been a 12-yard TD pass.
The Kentucky receivers do not do much to help out Terry Wilson.
Kentucky’s offense had 75 total yards and four first downs in half one. The Cats’ ‘O’ has now gone six straight quarters without showing much punch.
This story was originally published October 17, 2020 at 1:35 PM.
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