Kentucky vs. Tennessee: KSR Predictions

The countdown is on as we inch closer to Kentucky Football’s gigantic opportunity in Knoxville against the Tennessee Vols. You still have time to grab a few things to eat and maybe a sixer or two, but only a few more hours before you’re expected to be in your lucky seat well ahead of kickoff at 7 PM. Who’s excited for Kirk Herbstreit?

To pass the time, everyone here at KSR HQ wrote their expectations and score predictions for Kentucky vs. Tennessee. Optimism is a little low but the opinions are honest. Go Cats regardless.

Nick Roush

Hello friends. My byline may have appeared before this post’s publication, but this is the first time I’ve written on this blog since my wife and I welcomed baby No. 2, Frank, into the Roush house. As the say, the baby bye came at the right time. I needed time away from work for multiple practical reasons. There was one additional benefit. My blood pressure and anxiety have not skyrocketed leading into this game against Tennessee.

The Volunteers and their fans hit a nerve that causes me to revert back to a name-calling teenager. They incite an anger with such visceral emotion that I cannot contain, even on my best day. For the last two weeks I’ve compartmentalized this feeling. Today’s the day it returns with a vengeance.

Kentucky has the chops to beat Tennessee. In fact, timing, karma, health, a lot of stars appear to be aligning in UK’s favor. As good as the Vols have been offensively, much of it is a byproduct of what they’ve been given freely by opponents. This Kentucky defense will be the worst matchup for Tennessee this season. The Wildcats also have a quarterback and a talented group of wide receivers that can exploit one of the worst pass defenses in college football.

However, teams have a knack of giving this Tennessee team gifts in the form of silly, self-inflicted mistakes. It just so happens that silly, self-inflicted mistakes are the only thing standing in the way of the Cats and a 7-0 record. Kentucky can win this game, but I don’t trust them. They’ve only played one complete half of complementary football since the Florida win. If they can put it all together, it will be a night to remember, but I’m not confident the Cats will be dancing on the Vols’ graves Saturday night.

PREDICTION: Tennessee 35, Kentucky 31

Adam Luckett

For the third time this season, Kentucky will be playing on a big stage in a game between ranked SEC teams on Big ESPN. But this is the biggest one yet for the Wildcats.

Kentucky will head to Neyland Stadium rested and healthy while having two weeks to prepare for No. 3 Tennessee and what appears to be the best offense in college football. I suspect defensive coordinator Brad White will have a very good game plan. However, will Kentucky be able to score enough offensive points to pull the upset?

That is the million-dollar question.

When in doubt, Tennessee is going to bring bodies to try to stop the run and get pressure on Will Levis. That should lead to a big passing day with a few big-time explosive completions but this game will come down to finishing drives. The Vols have been excellent at creating scoring opportunity stops on defense and Kentucky’s offense has been iffy at finishing drives with points.

I fully expect Kentucky to survive the first quarter haymaker. The Cats will shrink the game by limiting possessions making the Vols earn the win, but I’m not sure the offense will be able to finish the deal on the road.

The game comes down to the wire but Tennessee’s dream season continues as Hendon Hooker makes some clutch plays and Kentucky’s offense will have a key drive or two stalls out. Unfortunately, we could be headed towards another soul-crushing loss for the Big Blue in this series but a key turnover at any point could swing the game for the road team. Unfortunately, those types of takeaways have been missing since the win over Florida.

PREDICTION: Tennessee 34, Kentucky 28

Tyler Thompson

I’m not emotionally prepared for this football game. People always ask how I deal with all the Tennessee fans in Nashville. I usually tell them what I believed true prior to about a month ago, that there aren’t as many as you’d think. Nashville’s a transplant city, the melting pot of the SEC, blah blah. Well, they must have been in hiding, or the bandwagon’s loading up because I’ve seen way too many Tennessee shirts, flags, stickers, coolers, pom poms, koozies, and God knows what else in the past three weeks. I’m so tired of their peacocking that I literally fled the state and am taking refuge at our cabin on Barren River Lake.

So, if you haven’t guessed by now, I don’t feel fantastic about today. Watching Tennessee beat Alabama was sickening, and last year’s heartbreaking loss to the Vols still haunts me. On paper, you can make a case for Kentucky keeping this one close. Brad White’s defense seems tailor-made to slow down the Vols. Will Levis, Tayvion Robinson, Jeremy Flax, and so many others got some much-needed time to rest and heal. Kentucky’s offense looked the best it has all season vs. Mississippi State and Tennessee’s pass defense isn’t great. As he’s shown several times this season, Barion Brown is capable of making a game-changing play on special teams, which the Cats will need to pull the upset off.

Having a running back like Chris Rodriguez in a game like this is essential for clock management, but if Kentucky’s going to win, it’s because Will Levis has the best game of his career. Between Brown, Robinson, and Dane Key, Levis has the weapons to move the ball in chunks IF the offensive line gives him the time he needs. Tennessee’s weakness is pass defense, and Kentucky must exploit it. I have no doubt that Levis is champing at the bit to lead the Cats to a monumental win and prove he’s worthy of all that draft buzz against a Heisman contender like Hendon Hooker. I do have doubts as to whether his surrounding cast can do everything required to make that happen.

Too many ifs in this one and too many past heartbreaks. Tennessee wins, but the Cats cover.

PREDICTION: Tennessee 37, Kentucky 28

Drew Franklin

Contrary to popular belief beyond our southern border, the UT Volunteers are not the best team in the history of organized American football, nor are the UT Volunteers the best team currently in our county, in the Southeastern Conference, or the Southeastern Conference’s East Division. Tennessee isn’t even the best team on ESPN Saturday Night.

Because tonight, your University of Kentucky Wildcats will rely on old faithful, Chris Rodriguez running the football, plus Will Levis carving up Tennessee’s vulnerable pass defense for the Cats’ highest scoring output of the season—let’s say, somewhere in the low 30s. Meanwhile, Brad White will bring Josh Heupel and the members of Heupel’s congregation back to reality by limiting Tennessee’s deep shots and keeping the Vols from the end zone in the first quarter, a Tennessee specialty this season (14 ppg in the 1Q).

In the end, Tennessee’s false national championship hopes die a painful death as GO-BIG-BLUE chants echo throughout Neyland Stadium. Barion Brown, a Tennessee native, is one of the last Kentucky players to leave the field after staying behind to celebrate with all of the family in town for his Volunteer state homecoming, a two-touchdown performance in the win. Back in Lexington, the university is billed for any and all furniture Mark Stoops breaks before and after the game.

PREDICTION: Kentucky 34, Tennessee 27

Jack Pilgrim

Tennessee’s offense is explosive and electric. The chemistry between Hendon Hooker and Jalin Hyatt is second-to-none and home run plays are inevitable. The Volunteers also have a two-headed monster in the backfield capable of making plays and putting points on the board, as well. Kentucky’s defense will be put to the test unlike anything it has seen all season.

However.

Tennessee’s defense is extremely underwhelming and it’s got holes. Kentucky is coming off its most impressive offensive half of the season vs. Mississippi State, with the run game finally returning to form as a game-changing unit. The Wildcats also have playmakers on the outside capable of creating mismatches against a struggling Volunteer secondary — Tayvion Robinson’s return will be huge, complementing Dane Key and Barion Brown to find opportunities at all three levels of the defense.

I also don’t think Tennessee is completely invested in this game, instead looking ahead to Georgia and dreaming big in the College Football Playoff hunt. National media continue to overlook Kentucky’s chances, as well, with the entire College GameDay and SEC Nation panels picking the Volunteers. Stephen A. Smith predicted the UT offense to hang 50 points on the UK defense, while Desmond Howard said it wouldn’t be close.

Feels like a great day to break some hearts in Knoxville.

PREDICTION: Kentucky 34, Tennessee 31