Bold Predictions: Tennessee-Kentucky
Before Tennessee and Kentucky kickoff in Kroger Field on Saturday night, the VR2 staff goes BOLD with the predictions below:
Matt
I have stuck with the trend of receivers for the last couple of weeks, and I have been close this time. This Tennessee passing attack is efficient and can hurt you in a variety of ways. This week I am sticking with it, but in a different way.
Tennessee is going to have to utilize all of its weapons against a stout Kentucky defense, and I expect the Vols to utilize the tight ends more, which means we might see some 12-personnel. I like Jacob Warren to lead the team in receiving this. He’s going to have to be efficient in run blocking to allow him to chip and seamlessly work into the second level of the Kentucky defense, but that’s what I am riding with this week. Look for a big night from No. 87.
This could be my worse miss of the year as I couldn’t tell you the last time a tight end led the way for Tennessee.
Jack
You know me, I love to do some digging prior to making my prediction. My immediate feel for this game is that Tennessee could come out and blast the Wildcats early, with the game becoming more interesting later on. And while Hendo Cinco bombs have mostly been the cause of the Vols' ability to put up points early, I like Tiyon Evans this week. Josh Heupel knows he has to get Evans back rolling. When Tennessee does well offensively, Evans does well.
Therefore, I'm going bold with Evans' stat line. The most yards Kentucky has allowed to a rusher is 147 yards courtesy LSU's Tyrion Davis-Price, and the most rushing yards they've allowed to an entire is team is 171 from Florida and Chattanooga. Evans will not only eclipse the 147, but he will eclipse the 171 total as well, single-handedly putting up the best rushing performance against the Wildcats all year. A total over 171 for Evans would be a season-high and the second best total of his career dating back to his JuCo days, as Evans rushed for 194 yards in a game in 2019.
Jake
For my bold prediction, I’m going on the defensive side of the ball.
I said on our podcast earlier this week that Jeremy Banks is my X-factor for this game, and that remains to be the case. His emotion — at least when held in check — will be essential in leading a group that has plenty of new faces, but also plenty of guys who remember last year’s thrashing inside Neyland Stadium.
That leadership will be essential in the hostile environment that Kroger Field can bring, and Banks’ run-stopping and gap-plugging abilities will be just as important against a Kentucky defense that has found plenty of success on the ground.
Currently, Chris Rodriguez Jr. is the second-best back in the conference with 809 yards and five touchdowns.
Moreover, he has appeared to surpass Kavoisiey Smoke in production recently, though both will come out hungry against a UT defense that ranks 61st in the NCAA with over 1,100 rushing yards allowed this season.
I think Banks shuts both of those guys down, just as the Vols’ defense did against Tyler Badie earlier this year, and my bold prediction is that Banks finishes with a season-high in tackles and tackles for loss on a cold night in Kentucky.
Dale
Like Jake, I look for the defense to be the catalyst for the team's success. I expect the Vols defense to come up with three turnovers that really change the layout of the game in what may be a defensive slugfest for a big portion of the game.
We know the Tennessee defense is capable of creating turnovers, as Tennessee Tech's selection of passers combined for four interceptions in Week three, and Connor Bazelak threw two picks in Week five. Look for players such as Tyler Baron, Byron Young and others to possibly wreak havoc in the pocket that may lead to a Will Levis fumble or two or a few bad throws under pressure.
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