Tennessee is looking for its first road win of the season when it heads to Kentucky to face the Wildcats on Saturday night.
Each week, Rocky Top Insider will take you behind the scenes with a question and answer with a media member who covers Tennessee’s opponent.
More From RTI: Tennessee Preparing For Old School Football Game Against Kentucky
What was different about Kentucky in its last two losses compared to the previous five wins?
“The defense has not been quite as effective, especially against Georgia, but inconsistency was a problem for this team even in the 5-0 start. The Florida win was the closest thing to a complete performance in that stretch, but even then the passing game struggled. Kentucky has not been able to overcome some of the mistakes it was getting away with against lesser competition in the last two games. Ill-timed penalties and dropped passes have been particularly costly.”
Kentucky’s offensive line was a major weakness last season. How much has it improved this season?
“It is definitely improved, but the line is still not at the standard that made it such a key piece of Kentucky’s success from 2016 to 2021. After a strong start, pass protection has been more of a concern in the last two games while the run blocking has improved from a shaky open to the season. It is important to note this week is expected to be the first time Kentucky has been at full strength on the offensive line since the season opener. Left guard Kenneth Horsey returned against Missouri after a five game absence with a leg injury, but right guard Jager Burton (who opened the season as the starting center) missed that game with an injury. West Virginia transfer Dylan Ray has filled in admirably for those two, but Mark Stoops sounded optimistic Monday that both Horsey and Burton would be available against Tennessee.”
How would you assess Devin Leary’s play so far this season?
“It would be difficult to call it anything but disappointing. Several national rankings had Leary as the top transfer portal quarterback when he signed with Kentucky. With so much turnover at the position in the SEC this season, there was a case to be made he was as accomplished as any SEC quarterback entering the year. Accuracy was supposed to be his biggest strength, but he ranks last among qualified quarterbacks in the SEC in completion percentage. The caveat to that disappointment is a large portion of Leary’s struggles can be attributed to the players around him. As mentioned above, the protection has not been great the last two games, but more troubling has been the wide receiver play. Kentucky is among the leaders nationally in dropped passes. There have been several instances where a receiver ran the wrong route that led to an ugly incompletion too. That being said, Leary has to be better.”
What are the strengths and weaknesses of Kentucky’s defense?
“In the past Kentucky has been great at taking away the big play at the expense of not being overly aggressive. This team still ranks second in the SEC in fewest plays of at least 30 yards allowed, but it has also forced more turnovers than in years past. After forcing just 16 turnovers in 13 games last season, Kentucky already has forced 11 in seven games this year. The pass rush has been better at times than a year ago, but inconsistency has still plagued that part of the defense. Kentucky needs more from outside linebacker J.J. Weaver, who was hyped as a breakout star this year but has yet to live up to that billing.”
What is one key or a couple of keys for Kentucky in this game?
“Kentucky has to do a better job of handling Tennessee’s tempo than a year ago. Stoops pointed to the mental toll that pace takes on defenders as being a key contributor in several of the blown coverages that resulted in big plays last season. The passing game also needs to finally round into form. A big game from running back Ray Davis would help keep Tennessee’s offense off the field, but Kentucky is going to need to show its own offensive explosion to score enough points to pull off the upset.”
Score Prediction?
Tennessee 28, Kentucky 24
One Response
Tempo isn’t going to mean much if TN can’t throw a deep ball with any. more accuracy than a school yard pick up game.