KSR Staff Predictions: Kentucky vs. Tennessee

Your University of Kentucky Wildcats head to the unfriendly confines of Neyland Stadium on Saturday to play the seventh-ranked, one-loss Tennessee Vols. Kentucky is desperate for a win after three straight losses, while the Vols aim to keep playoff hopes alive in Knoxville with a third straight win since losing a game at Arkansas last month.

Before the rivalry game kicks off along the Tennessee River, here are KSR’s predictions for the Wildcats versus the Vols. Vibes are not high at KSR HQ.

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Drew Franklin

I’m afraid this one is going to hurt. Tennessee has one of our nation’s best defenses, and we all know what Kentucky’s offense looks like. This doesn’t feel like the game the Wildcats will suddenly turn things around, especially given the circumstances in Knoxville. It’s a late start–Tennessee fans love those–and it’s a themed game, “Dark Mode.” I would love to be surprised, but I can’t predict a favorable outcome for Big Blue.

I’ll say the defense shows up in the beginning to keep Tennessee’s offense off the board, then things open up in the second half. Tennessee wins another in the series, per tradition.

Score: Tennessee 27, Kentucky 9

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Adam Luckett

This Kentucky football team probably has one more rally moment in them, but I’m not sure it will come this Saturday night in Knoxville. Tennessee has a top-five defense, owns this series, and will be playing a Kentucky defense with some serious injury issues.

The Wildcats are dealing with a weird QB controversy and will have a very difficult time blocking Tennessee’s front. Meanwhile, Kentucky has yet to solve the Josh Heupel offensive riddle and that likely leads to another early deficit in front of a rowdy Neyland Stadium crowd.

A healthy Kentucky defense is good enough to give a Tennessee offense with some real passing game limitations some problems, but this is not a healthy Kentucky defense. The road team hangs around in the first half before a second half turnover or short field flips the game after the break and allows Tennessee to cover another spread in this series.

Score: Tennessee 30, Kentucky 7

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Zack Geoghegan

Welp, here we go again… This one could get ugly. As mentioned above, Kentucky is banged up on defense and has lacked an offensive identity all season long. Tennessee’s offense might not be as lethal as it has been under Josh Heupel, but that defense is damn good. UK has yet to score more than 20 points in an SEC game this season. Betting on it to happen on the road against a Top 10 team in what will be a rowdy environment is irresponsible gambling and warrants a call to the hotline.

But Mark Stoops teams always seem to show up when I’m almost fully checked out. I still foresee a Tennessee win, but it will be closer than expected going into the fourth quarter.

Score: Tennessee 24, Kentucky 13

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Jack Pilgrim

It just is what it is at this point. The wheels are falling off and there aren’t many signs of hope in that building, certainly not to wrap up this disaster of a season. Three straight SEC losses and a 1-5 start in league play with two top-10 opponents on the road in the final four games, it appears this thing is going to get worse before it gets better. And that’s not even accounting for the 16-man injury report that includes 12 players out and five recent starters.

Kentucky hasn’t even figured out its quarterback situation eight games into the season while the defense is coming off a Charmin-soft effort against Auburn. In the spirit of Halloween week, it’s going to get spooky for the Cats inside Neyland Stadium rather than delivering the scares. They’ll be seeing plenty of ghosts in yet another collapse in a sea of black and orange.

Score: Tennessee 31, Kentucky 6

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Nick Roush

Kentucky has already defeated a team with a similar profile to Tennessee. The issue is this isn’t the same Kentucky football team that went to Ole Miss, made the Rebels one-dimensional, then made just enough plays at the end of the game to get a W.

Tennessee has trailed at halftime of three straight games without scoring a touchdown. Nico Iamaleava has been fine, but inconsistent. There’s a formula for success for Kentucky, but unfortunately, the Cats are going to be the cure for what ails Tennessee.

As much as I want to leave Knoxville with a black eye for obnoxiously celebrating a shocking Kentucky win, this defense is too battered to slow down Dylan Sampson and Nico is going to look like Peyton Freaking Manning. As for the UK offense, good luck. The mismatch between the Kentucky offense and the Tennessee defense is as drastic as I can remember. Things are probably going to get ugly in Knoxville.

Score: Tennessee 38, Kentucky 6

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Kentucky vs. Tennessee: How To Watch, Listen

• Kickoff: 7:45 p.m. ET
• TV: SEC Network (Tom Hart, Jordan Rodgers, Cole Cubelic)
• Watch college football games live – try Fubo for free! Click HERE NOW.
• Local Radio: UK Sports Network (Tom Leach, Jeff Piecoro, Dick Gabriel)
• AM: 840 WHAS, 630 WLAP
• FM: 98.1 WBUL
• Online: iHeart Radio
• Sirius XM: 374 (UK); 158 or 191 (Tennessee)
• Live Stats: StatBroadcast

You can also keep up with the game and chat with other fans on our game thread on KSBoard, with Nick Roush and Adam Luckett providing updates from Neyland Stadium and the rest of us from home.