Josh Heupel, Tennessee preparing for difficult road challenge

Kentucky has wins over Missouri, Florida, and LSU at home this season. The Wildcats have handled their business and Kroger Field is starting to become a tough place to play. Josh Heupel and Tennessee could be walking into a hornet’s nest.

Florida had numerous false starts, the crowd gave Kentucky’s defense a 12th man edge on their way to a stop on the final possession against Mizzou, and LSU was blitzed in a big-time home atmosphere.

Kentucky now has a chance to run the table at home this season. Tennessee stands in the way. First-year head coach Josh Heupel is getting his team ready after the Vols had last week off following a double-digit loss to Alabama in Tuscaloosa.

Heupel and his program are preparing for what will be a hectic environment.

“It’s going to be a great environment, great competitive environment. We gotta be excited and physically and mentally ready to go compete for 60 minutes,” Heupel told reporters on Monday.

Tennessee has been no stranger to crazy atmospheres this season. The Vols played both Alabama and Florida well on the road. In the first home sellout in years, the Big Orange nearly knocked off Ole Miss in Lane Kiffin’s return to Rocky Top. Oh, there was also an incident that night if you happened to not be paying attention.

The Vols sit at 4-4 on the season and are looking for their first victory in a month after dropping consecutive games to Ole Miss and Alabama before the bye week. Each loss this season for the Vols has been to a team that has spent time inside the top 25.

Heupel knows that his thin Tennessee team will again be challenged by a good football team in Lexington. The performance against Mississippi State by the Wildcats is not how Mark Stoops’ ninth team at Kentucky should be judged.

“We know that Kentucky is a really good football team,” said Josh Heupel. “We got a chance to watch some video on them last week — obviously our kids started today — kind of refreshed the course and we’ll have to push in a great way. Know the product that they’re going to put out there — they’re big, strong, athletic, physical. They know their schemes offensively and defensively extremely well. Got out to a good start the other night, didn’t finish it the way that they wanted to. Know that we’re going to get a great effort from them.

Similar to Tennessee, Kentucky is also coming off of consecutive losses and needs a win to get back on track. Both teams appear to be backed into a corner. Expect a hard-fought battle to occur Saturday night at Kroger Field in this border rivalry.