Blue Preview: Storyline, odds and key players to watch for UK football vs. Tennessee
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Preview: Kentucky football vs. No. 21 Tennessee
Click below to read more of the Herald-Leader’s and Kentucky.com’s preview coverage ahead of Saturday’s Kentucky-Tennessee football game at 7 p.m. at Kroger Field.
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Kentucky vs. No. 21 Tennessee
When: 7 p.m. (EDT) Saturday.
TV: ESPN.
Announcers: Play-by-play, Mike Monaco; analysis, Jesse Palmer; sideline, Katie George.
Radio: WLAP-AM 630, WBUL-FM 98.1.
Satellite Radio: XM Channel 192, Sirius Channel 132, Internet Channel 963.
Records: Kentucky 5-2, 2-2 SEC; Tennessee 5-2, 2-2 SEC.
Series history: Tennessee leads the all-time series with Kentucky 83-26-9.
Most-recent meeting: No. 3 Tennessee strafed No. 19 Kentucky 44-6 on Oct. 29, 2022, at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville.
Line: Tennessee is favored by 3.5 points.
The storyline
After back-to-back disappointing showings in losses at Georgia and to Missouri, Kentucky gets a chance to reset its season against border rival Tennessee. The Volunteers have long had the Wildcats’ number, but with UT coming off a game at Alabama and UK coming in off an open week, the game sets up favorably for the Wildcats.
The number to watch
Kentucky’s penalties. Two games back, three major penalties committed by UK early in the contest helped sink the Wildcats into a giant hole in what became a 51-13 drubbing at No. 1 Georgia. In the Cats’ most recent game, Kentucky incurred 14 penalties for a whopping 122 yards in what became a 38-21 defeat to Missouri. For UK to upset UT, the Wildcats have to cut way back on ill-advised penalties.
The big threat
Jaylen Wright. The 5-foot-11, 210-pound junior from Durham, North Carolina, is the featured back in a three-headed Tennessee tailback rotation that has helped the Volunteers rank seventh in the FBS in rushing (217.3 yards a game). Wright has gone over 100 yards rushing in four of UT’s seven games. For the season, he has run for a team-high 593 yards and is averaging 6.5 yards a carry.
On the spot
Brad White. The estimable Kentucky defensive coordinator has not had much luck so far slowing Josh Heupel’s up-tempo, offense. Since Heupel became UT head man in 2021, the Volunteers have averaged 44.5 points and 441.5 yards a game in two victories over UK. For the Cats to have a viable hope of taming the Vols, White has to get Heupel figured out.
The mood
Is discouraged. The sloppy play that contributed to the losses at Georgia and to Missouri has taken a lot of enthusiasm for the 2023 Wildcats football season out of the Big Blue Nation. Starting with Tennessee, there are five challenging games left on the UK schedule — but those contests also represent a chance for Mark Stoops and the troops to flip the narrative of their season in a positive direction.
This story was originally published October 23, 2023 at 9:23 AM.
