Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel and inside linebackers coach Brian Jean-Mary met with the local media early this week ahead of Saturday’s showdown with Kentucky at Kroger Field in Lexington.
Kentucky enters the game 5-2 (2-2 SEC) and is coming off its open date after losing consecutive SEC games to Georgia and Missouri. The Wildcats boast one of the conference’s best running games with star running back Ray Davis and an always solid defensive unit.
It’s a big game for both teams as Tennessee looks to bounce back from last week’s loss at Alabama and get its first road win of the season.
Here’s everything Heupel and Jean-Mary said about Kentucky on Monday and Tuesday.
More From RTI: Tennessee Players Talk Matchup Against Kentucky
Josh Heupel
Opening statement
“Playing a really good Kentucky team that has had two weeks of preparation coming off of an extremely physical football team on both sides of the line of scrimmage offensively. You look at their ability to rush the football, their efficiency in the play-action pass, it’s huge challenge for us defensively. Offensively, they’re extremely good against the run and extremely physical up front. So it will be a huge test. And special teams will be a big part of it too.”
On slowing down Kentucky RB Ray Davis
“Well you gotta stop them early at the line of scrimmage. But their offensive line, their tight ends, they’re extremely physical. They do a really good job getting a hat on a hat. We gotta be violent, we gotta be disruptive. You gotta have gap integrity between all their different personnel groupings, their shifts, their emotions. Gotta do a great job communicating and being gapped out. At the end of the day when you meet the ball carrier, you gotta do a great job of tackling too. (Davis is) extremely physical.”
On Kentucky’s defense
“A young corner that has been opportunistic. Made plays, when it’s been up in the air he’s gone up got it. Really nice job as a young player. Their front (is) big, strong, physical. They do a really good job of getting off the blocks, but their second level and third level fits are on point. So even if you block it clean inside the extra hats showing up quickly on you they’ve done a really good job of tackling that guy in space. We got to be extremely good up front. That’s the five guys. It’s the tight ends and we’re gonna have to run with a physical edge in this one.”
Brian Jean-Mary
On the challenges Kentucky’s running game presents
“It’s one of the best rushing attacks in the country. We thought Ray Davis was one of the better running backs in the conference last year when he was at Vanderbilt and he’s continued that over at Kentucky. They have a big, physical offensive line. Great blocking, athletic tight ends. They present a real challenge for us. By every measure you can imagine, they run the ball at a high clip and do it very very well. It’s kind of a perfect marriage with Ray Davis and their rushing attack. It’s a big challenge for us. We have to do a great job of being in our gaps and getting off our blocks and tackling at a high level.”
On Kentucky having an old school, downhill rushing attack
“Even with the spread, I liken it to our offense. They spread you out but you still have to meet and defeat blocks. You’re still going to have offensive linemen and full backs or tight ends— guys that are going to be blocking you so you still have to defeat blocks to be successful and you have to tackle well. They do it in a little bit of a different style because they’re a little bit more condensed and a little bit more downhill but at the end of the day we’re going to have to recognize formations and tackle well but the most important thing is we’re going to have to get off blocks.”
