How Kentucky football and No. 7 Tennessee match up — with a game prediction
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Preview: Kentucky at No. 7 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 Knoxville.
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How the Kentucky Wildcats (3-5, 1-5 SEC) and the No. 7 Tennessee Volunteers (6-1, 3-1 SEC) match up at each position for Saturday’s SEC football contest — with a game prediction:
Quarterbacks
▪ In Kentucky’s disappointing 24-10 loss to Auburn last week, the Wildcats split the two halves between their top two QBs. Brock Vandagriff (57.1 percent passing, 1,236 yards, six touchdowns, five interceptions) played the first half, completing 9 of 17 passes for 120 yards with an interception and running four times for a net minus-18 yards. Former Owensboro High School star Gavin Wimsatt (40 percent passing, 93 yards, two interceptions; 151 yards rushing, two TDs) played half two, completing 3 of 10 throws for 34 yards with a pick and running nine times for 23 yards. On Monday, UK offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan said of Kentucky’s struggling attack, “We know exactly where we’re at right now and we’re not going to just sit there and do the same thing over and over again and expect different results.”
▪ Tennessee’s Nico Iamaleava (63.5 percent passer, 1,413 yards, eight touchdowns, four interceptions) has been good, not great, in his initial season as the Volunteers’ starter. In UT’s 24-17 win over then-No. 7 Alabama in its most recent game, the 6-foot-6, 215-pound redshirt freshman completed 14 of 27 passes for 194 yards and threw both a TD pass and a pick. The Long Beach, California, product also ran nine times for 44 yards vs. the Crimson Tide. Iamaleava has thrown an interception in each of Tennessee’s past two games.
Advantage: Tennessee.
Running backs
▪ Due to injuries, Kentucky played Auburn last week without senior starting tailback Demie Sumo-Karngbaye (419 rushing yards, four TDs, 4.6 yards a carry; 12 receptions for 108 yards) and Ohio State transfer Chip Trayanum (seven rushes for 26 yards in his season debut at Florida). In the absence of its most experienced backs, UK true freshman Jason Patterson (111 rushing yards, 5.5 yards a carry) led the Wildcats in rushing last week with 38 yards on six carries. Redshirt freshman Jamarion Wilcox (249 rushing yards, two TDs, 6.4 yards a carry) ran seven times for 25 yards vs. Auburn and scored his first college touchdown.
▪ Tennessee star Dylan Sampson is having an All-America-caliber season. The 5-11, 201-pound junior from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is leading the SEC in rushing yards (858) and touchdowns (17), which is good for 13th and third in the nation, respectively. Sampson has run for over 100 yards in every game this season except for one — a 92-yards rushing performance vs. Oklahoma. In UT’s 33-27 win over UK last season in Lexington, Sampson ran for 76 yards and scored the game-clinching touchdown. Homegrown freshman DeSean Bishop, a 5-10, 200-pound Knoxville product, has run for 366 yards and three touchdowns and is averaging a robust 6.9 yards a carry.
Advantage: Tennessee.
Wide receivers
▪ On 10 targets, Kentucky junior Dane Key (39 catches, 587 yards, two touchdowns) caught four passes for 87 yards in the loss to Auburn. Last season vs. Tennessee, the 6-3, 210-pound junior from Frederick Douglass High School made seven receptions for 113 yards and a TD. Junior speedster Barion Brown (23, 278, three) also had a good game last season vs. UT, catching five passes for 58 yards and a TD.
▪ Tennessee deploys a quartet of effective wideouts. Bru McCoy (20 catches, 289 yards, 14.5 yards a catch) and Squirrel White (20, 230, 11.5) are tied for the team lead in receptions. White, however, is dealing with a nagging shoulder injury. Big-play threat Dont’e Thornton (12, 365, three touchdowns, 30.4 ypc) leads the Vols in TD catches and yards a catch. Chris Brazzell (18-237-2, 13.2) caught 44 passes for 711 yards and five touchdowns last year while playing for Tulane.
Advantage: Tennessee.
Tight ends
▪ Kentucky junior Jordan Dingle (seven receptions, 54 yards, one TD) was declared “out” for the game on UK’s Wednesday injury report. That is a bad break for the Cats, because Dingle usually plays well against Tennessee. In UK’s past two meetings with the Vols, Dingle has caught a combined eight passes for 105 yards. Josh Kattus (three catches, 27 yards) has caught a pass in each of Kentucky’s last two contests.
▪ Tennessee rotates three productive tight ends. Redshirt freshman Ethan Davis (nine catches, 64 yards, one TD) and junior Holden Staes (nine, 65, one) lead the tight ends in catches, while senior Miles Kitselman (six, 78, two) leads in TD receptions.
Advantage: Tennessee.
Offensive line
▪ Kentucky redshirt freshman Malachi Wood made his first college start at right tackle vs. Auburn in place of the injured Gerald Mincey. Although some outside assessments of Wood’s pass blocking vs. Auburn were harsh, UK offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan says the 6-8, 320-pound Wood “is a guy we are excited about. He has a ton of potential, a ton of athleticism. He will continue to get better as he plays.”
▪ Tennessee center Cooper Mays has gone 21 consecutive games without allowing a quarterback sack. The 6-4, 310-pound senior is the anchor of a UT offensive line that has opened holes for a rushing attack that stands seventh in the FBS, averaging 241.6 yards a game.
Advantage: Tennessee.
Defensive line
▪ Kentucky junior nose guard Keeshawn Silver had his best statistical game of the season in the loss to Auburn. The 6-4, 336-pound product of Rocky Mount, North Carolina, made a season-high four tackles and sacked the quarterback vs. the Tigers. Star junior tackle Deone Walker, the 6-6, 345-pound Detroit product, has made 29 tackles, four tackles for loss, and has recorded 1.5 sacks and two pass breakups.
▪ Tennessee rush end James Pearce Jr. is considered a likely 2025 NFL draft first-round pick. The 6-5, 243-pound junior leads Tennessee with 3.5 sacks, 5.5 tackles for loss and eight QB hurries. Tackle Omari Thomas, a 6-4, 325-pound senior from Memphis, has made 2.5 TFL, two QB hurries and broken up two passes.
Advantage: Tennessee.
Linebackers
▪ Kentucky MLB Jamon Dumas-Johnson tied for the team high with eight tackles vs. Auburn. The 6-1, 245-pound senior, a transfer from Georgia, is now second on the UK team with 40 tackles. SLB Alex Afari had eight tackles vs. Auburn and has made a combined 15 stops in the past two weeks.
▪ Tennessee WLB Arion Carter has produced a busy stat line. The 6-1, 234-pound sophomore has made 33 tackles, 4.5 TFL and has intercepted a pass, broken up three passes and hurried the QB twice. Former Great Crossing High School star Kalib Perry has been a contributing player for UT at WLB. The 6-3, 231-pound junior has made 12 tackles, a tackle for loss and has both a quarterback hurry and a forced fumble.
Advantage: Tennessee.
Defensive backs
▪ Kentucky free safety Jordan Lovett has made a combined 26 tackles over UK’s past three games to move into the team lead in stops on the season with 44. Cornerback JQ Hardaway made seven tackles and picked off a pass in the loss to Auburn.
▪ Tennessee safety Will Brooks, a 6-1, 206-pound senior, leads the Volunteers in tackles with 37 and is tied for the team lead in interceptions with two. Cornerback Jermod McCoy has broken up a team-high five passes and is tied for the team lead in picks with two. McCoy, a 6-foot, 193-pound sophomore, returned an interception for 54 yards in the win over Alabama.
Advantage: Tennessee.
Special teams
▪ Kentucky place-kicker Alex Raynor is perfect on the season on field-goal attempts, 12-of-12, with a long of 55 yards. Punter Aidan Laros is averaging 43.8 yards a kick on 16 punts and has pinned foes inside their 20-yard line four times. Barion Brown is the SEC all-time leader in career kickoff return touchdowns with five.
▪ Tennessee punter Jackson Ross is averaging 44.9 yards a kick and has stopped 10 of his 28 punts inside the opponents’ 20-yard line. Place-kicker Max Gilbert is 12-of-15 on field-goal tries with a long of 45 yards. Punter returner Squirrel White is averaging 16 yards on seven returns.
Advantage: Even.
Prediction
Tennessee 42, Kentucky 9.
This story was originally published October 31, 2024 at 8:32 AM.
