Know Your Foe: Can UK football take advantage of a favorable setup vs. Vols?
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Preview: No. 17 Tennessee at Kentucky football
Click below to read more of the Herald-Leader and Kentucky.com’s preview coverage ahead of Saturday’s Kentucky-Tennessee game at Kroger Field.
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Scouting Kentucky football’s next opponent, the No. 17 Tennessee Volunteers:
Game details for Kentucky vs. Tennessee
Kentucky (2-4, 0-4 SEC) will face Tennessee (5-2, 2-2 SEC) on Saturday at Kroger Field (seating capacity of 61,000) on the campus of the University of Kentucky in Lexington.
The game will kick off at 7:45 p.m. EDT and be telecast by the SEC Network.
Coach Josh Heupel’s then-No. 11 Volunteers lost at then-No. 6 Alabama 37-20 on Saturday night.
Kentucky-Tennessee history and trends
Tennessee leads the all-time series with Kentucky 85-26-9.
The Volunteers have won four straight against the Wildcats, and have beaten UK in 37 of the past 40 meetings between the border rivals.
UK coach Mark Stoops is 2-10 against Tennessee.
Tennessee head man Josh Heupel is 4-0 against Kentucky.
Kentucky has lost its last 10 SEC home games and is 2-14 in its past 16 such games.
The previous four meetings between UK and UT in Lexington have all been decided by six points or fewer. Kentucky is 1-3 in those games.
Most recent Kentucky-Tennessee football game
Tennessee running back Dylan Sampson ran for 142 yards and two touchdowns and UT quarterback Nico Iamaleava threw for 292 yards and a TD as the No. 7 Volunteers staved off a pesky effort from underdog Kentucky with a 28-18 win on Nov. 3, 2024, at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville.
Iamaleava completed 28 of 38 throws and hit Miles Kitselman with a 6-yard scoring toss.
In spite of finishing the game down 10 starters due to injuries, Kentucky led 10-7 at halftime and was within 21-18 with 13:31 left in the game after UK quarterback Gavin Wimsatt hit Ja’Mori Maclin with both a 32-yard touchdown pass and a successful two-point conversion throw.
However, on the ensuing Tennessee offensive possession, the Volunteers marched 91 yards in 13 plays for a game-sealing touchdown.
Kentucky-Tennessee: Three things to know
1. History says it matters little to the outcome of UK-UT football games how the contest sets up on either team’s schedule — the Big Orange usually prevails.
Nevertheless, Kentucky appears to fall in a spot on the Tennessee schedule that could prove favorable to the Wildcats.
Last week, Tennessee played at No. 6 Alabama in what is one of the most fierce rivalries in college football.
The week after facing Kentucky, Tennessee has a home date with No. 13 Oklahoma in a game that could have College Football Playoff ramifications for both teams.
That could set a road trip to UK as a potential trap game for the Volunteers.
The question is, even if UT shows up flat, is Kentucky good enough to take advantage of that opportunity?
2. After incumbent Tennessee starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava departed Knoxville last spring in what appeared to be a contract dispute, the Volunteers were forced into scramble mode in the spring transfer portal seeking a starting QB.
When Iamaleava eventually landed at UCLA, that led expected Bruins starting QB Joey Aguilar to seek another option.
Aguilar, who had played for Appalachian State in 2023 and 2024 before transferring to UCLA, wound up replacing Iamaleava at Tennessee.
So far, the QB trade with UCLA has worked out well for UT.
Aguilar is completing 64.6% of his passes and has thrown for 15 touchdowns versus six interceptions.
3. The Kentucky offensive tackles, who have struggled at times in pass protection against disruptive SEC edge rushers, will have a big challenge Saturday night.
Tennessee is leading the FBS in sacks per game (4.4) and is second in total sacks (26). Leading the Volunteers pass rush is edge Joshua Josephs.
The 6-foot-3, 240-pound senior from Kennesaw, Georgia, has four sacks, five quarterback hurries, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries through seven games.
Last season against UK, Josephs had one sack and four tackles.
This story was originally published October 20, 2025 at 6:15 AM.
