Three Kentucky players to watch against Tennessee

The biggest game of the season has arrived for Kentucky football. Mark Stoops and his football team have made the drive down I-75 South and are ready to take their swing at No. 3 Tennessee.

The challenge will be tall for the Cats faced up against the most explosive offense in college football. Brad White’s defense has a lot of pressure on them while Rich Scangarello’s offense must play strong complementary football by finishing drives with points but also keeping Tennessee’s offense off of the field.

As with any game, there are always some specific players that could have a bigger impact than others. We’ve identified three individuals who will have a chance to make a big impact at Neyland Stadium.

DeAndre Square must continue high level play

Kentucky’s defense enters Week 9 as a legitimate top-10 unit. The odd man front with a zone-heavy approach in the backend has been very good at taking away efficiency in the run game and challenging passes in the secondary while maintaining big-play prevention.

Brad White is putting on a clinic as a play-caller and schemer through 28 quarters this season but his veteran roster has had a lot to say in the success of the unit. Perhaps no one on the defense is playing better than super senior DeAndre Square.

The Detroit (Mich.) Cass Tech product is in year four as a starter at Will linebacker and the veteran leads the team in tackles (52), run stuffs (6.5), and has been an effective rusher with 10 QB pressures in 38 pass rushing snaps. Square iced the Mississippi State win with a fourth-quarter interception and has played outstanding football since Mike linebacker Jacquez Jones was lost during the Ole Miss game.

Kentucky will need Square to play excellent football against Tennessee.

Facing the extreme spacing and tempo Josh Heupel uses, quite often Kentucky will have just 5-6 defenders in the box to fit the run and pressure the passer. In both aspects, Square will be asked to do a lot. The super senior must diagnose run concepts efficient and effectively while also getting the Kentucky front lined up correctly with efficiency before the ball is snapped.

Expect Square to play a lot on Saturday and he will be very important. Don’t be surprised to see the linebacker come as a blitzer early and often as White tries to manufacture a pass rush.

Barion Brown and the splash play element

Despite the fact that Will Levis is averaging 10 yards per attempt and ranks No. 5 in 40-plus yard completions (9), Kentucky has not been an explosive offense. A lot of that has to do with design.

The Cats have a run-first offense and that ground attack was very poor until Chris Rodriguez Jr. returned to the lineup. We’ve seen an uptick in recent weeks as the Wildcats are beginning to look more like the expected offense we all thought we would see in the preseason.

In Saturday’s contest with Tennessee, ball control will be very important but Kentucky’s offense must also land some haymakers. No one on the offense is a bigger home run hitter than Barion Brown.

The Nashville (Tenn.) Pearl-Cohn product is returning to his home state as a true freshman in the middle of a very strong season. A former top-100 recruit, Brown leads the offense in targets (38) while reeling in 24 receptions for 350 yards and two touchdowns. The explosive playmaker recorded a 70-yard touchdown reception against Northern Illinois and create big plays on wide receiver screens against Ole Miss.

Brown also brings major value in the kicking game as the freshman is averaging 43.3 yards on seven kickoff returns and had an explosive punt return touchdown negated against Mississippi State by penalty.

The blue-chip rookie can change the game at any moment when the ball is in his hands. When the time comes to land a big play, Brown could be the guy to do it for the Cats. Kentucky needs to take advantage of a poor Tennessee pass defense on Saturday night and Brown could be the player that creates some easy scoring opportunities for the offense.

Kentucky needs playmaking from Tyrell Ajian

There is no getting away from playing in isolation against Tennessee. Specifically in the secondary, the Cats are going to find themselves in one-on-one situations even while playing zone. In last season’s matchup with Josh Heupel’s offense, Kentucky lost way too many of these isolation moments.

Super senior Tyrell Ajian had one of the worst games of his career in the 45-42 shutout loss.

Specifically, the veteran missed two tackles that led to explosive play touchdowns and was beaten one-on-one for a touchdown in the red zone. The former blue-chip recruit had the worst game of his career against the Vols.

Ajian has returned for his super senior season and has mostly played good football for Kentucky this year. In the past, the Ohio product has shown up in big moments with big interceptions in wins over Mississippi State (2018) and Tennessee (2020) to go along with a huge short-yardage stop on third down against Iowa in the Citrus Bowl to setup the game-winning drive.

Expect the Vols to try and isolate Ajian again in this matchup. Kentucky will need their veteran to play much better this season.