The Tennessee Volunteers are looking to get back into the win column this weekend as they take on the Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday night, Oct. 28. The Vols are coming off a tough road loss to Alabama, while the Cats are coming off a bye week after dropping two games in a row to Georgia and Missouri. To enhance the action, you can claim several Kentucky sports betting welcome bonuses with our promo codes.
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Tennessee vs Kentucky preview
Oddsmakers are expecting a close game. Despite playing on the road, the Volunteers are 3.5-point favorites on most sports betting platforms. The total, or over/under, is listed at 51.5 points. Who has the edge in this prime time SEC matchup? Let’s take a closer look at each team to find out.
Tennessee Volunteers: Looking for first road win
Tennessee has had a great deal of success against Kentucky in recent memory, winning eight of the last 10 meetings. That includes winning four of the last five meetings in Lexington. The Vols are hoping that trend continues, as the road has not been kind to them so far this season. Tennessee is 0-2 in true road games this season, with losses at Florida and at Alabama. They did play a neutral site game against Virginia, winning 49-13.
If the Vols are going to walk out of Lexington with a win, the passing attack has to be clicking. Kentucky’s pass defense has been far from elite, allowing opponents to complete 67.7% of their passing attempts, which ranks 125th in the country. On the year, the Wildcats are allowing 250.9 yards per game through the air. The Kentucky defense is much stingier against the run, but they have struggled against mobile quarterbacks. Joe Milton III has 232 rushing yards on the year, so he could give the Wildcat defense fits with both his arm and his legs.
Kentucky Wildcats: Lackluster Passing Game Needs a Boost
After reeling off five straight wins to open the season, Kentucky has lost back-to-back games. The good news is that they had a bye week last week to regroup ahead of this matchup against Tennessee. The Wildcats possess a strong running game, led by Ray Davis. His 781 rushing yards ranks 12th in the country. He has also found the end zone eight times on the ground. Tennessee has played back-to-back extremely physical games against Texas A&M and Alabama, so look for the rested Kentucky offensive line to control the line of scrimmage in order to get the ground game going.
Kentucky’s passing attack is far less lethal, so the Tennessee defense could hone in on the rushing attack and force Devin Leary to beat them through the air. On the season, Leary has completed 54.4% of his passes while throwing 14 touchdowns and seven interceptions. The good news for Leary in this one is that he is at home. He has completed 57.9 percent of his passes and has a rating of 139.3 at home so far this season. On the road, he has a 45.5 completion percentage and 107.0 rating.
Tennessee vs Kentucky Prediction
The Vols have scored 45 and 44 points in their last two matchups against Kentucky. While they may not reach those numbers in this one, the offense seems to have a good matchup. Kentucky has struggled against the pass, and big plays could be available down the field. On the other side, this could be a bounce back spot for the Kentucky offense. The Cats were averaging 37 points per game in their first five contests before scoring just 13 against Georgia and 21 against Missouri. They have had an extra week to get back into rhythm, so look for the Kentucky offense to look better than it has over the past two games. It’s also worth noting that Tennessee has allowed 29 and 34 points in their two SEC road games this season. Consider the Over at 51.5 points.
