The Kentucky Wildcats head into Neyland Stadium to square-off against the Tennessee Volunteers on Saturday, November 11th. The SEC battle between the two schools will go down at 12:00 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on the SEC Network. The struggling Volunteers are -13.5 point favorites and the over/under is at 60.
In 2015, the Tennessee Volunteers stretched their third quarter legs and scored 28 points to go on and defeat the Kentucky Wildcats 52-21. Tennessee controlled the line of scrimmage with almost 250 yards over the ground. Josh Dobbs also connected with Josh Malone for a touchdown score and the rest was history.
Kentucky (5-4):
Well the time has come, Kentucky can prove to the nation that they have finally changed their program around. The Wildcats are one win away from being bowl eligible and a road win in Volunteer country will accomplish just that. Unfortunately, their 27-24 defeat to the Georgia Bulldogs leaves some people wondering.
Quarterback Stephen Johnson has been asked to limit his mistakes and hand the ball off to his talented back field. For the most part, Johnson has answered the call with over 1,200 yards through the air and seven touchdowns with only four interceptions. Make no mistake, Johnson will use his feet to move the chains if called upon to do so. He also has 63 carries for over 100 yards and another score.
There is no secret as to how the Wildcats prefer to move the ball. Running backs Stanley Boom Williams and youngster Benjamin Snell Jr. have kept opposing quarterbacks on the side lines and amassed some pretty good figures along the way. Together, they have toted the rock 262 times for almost 1,700 yards and 14 scores. Williams is advancing the football for over seven yards a carry in 2016.
Kentucky’s two receivers are small, quick wide outs that take advantage of secondaries in the play-action passing game. Combined, the two have produced almost 50 catches for 869 yards and six scores. 6’5 250 pound tight end C.J. Conrad gets into the mix, adding another 13 grabs for just under 200 yards and three more trips to pay-dirt.
The defense hopes to frustrate the multi-talented quarterback Josh Dobbs on Saturday. The Volunteers are banged-up at the running back position, so the Wildcats hope to keep Dobbs in the pocket. The Wildcat’s secondary have held their own in 2016, giving way to 227 yards a contest (64th).
Tennessee (6-3):
The 2016 campaign has turned upside down on the Tennessee Volunteers. Over the past month they have seen their dreams of winning the SEC and playing for a title go up in smoke. Fortunately, they collected six wins along the way and now are bowl eligible. The club has a chance to send Josh Dobbs out in style and a loss against the Wildcats would ruin all that.
Tennessee’s senior quarterback Josh Dobbs has had his trials and tribulations this year, but for the most part he’s done well. Dobbs has completed almost 150 passes for 1,869 yards with 18 touchdowns and 11 picks. The multi-talented man-under-center has also ran the ball over 100 times for 323 yards and five more scores.
Although they’ve been bruised and battered throughout the 2016 season, Jalen Hurd and Alvin Kamara continue to grind it out for the Volunteer offense. Combined, the two bruisers have tallied almost 775 yards rushing and six trips to the end zone.
Receivers Josh Malone and Jauan Jennings catch the majority of balls when Josh Dobbs looks to the pass. They have brought in 56 passes for over 900 yards and 12 scores. Running back Alvin Kamara is a threat out of the back field, with 22 grabs for 260 yards and three more touchdowns.
The Tennessee defense is banged up, but they still will have some talent taking the field on Saturday. They will have to stop tail backs Boom Williams and freshman phenom Benny Snell, and put the pressure on Stephen Johnson to win the contest with his arm. The question is, can their 87th ranked rushing defense that gives up almost 195 yards a game do it.
Trends and Notes:
The Wildcats are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games overall.
The Volunteers are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games following a straight up win.
The Under is 6-1 in the Wildcats last 7 road games.
The Over is 5-1 in the Volunteers last 6 conference games.
The Favorite is 4-0 ATS in their last 4 meetings.
Game Prediction:
It’s put up or shut up for the Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday. Here is the chance that the school has been waiting for for years. A lot is on the line here, as the Wildcats could capture a bowl berth and some respectability over the weekend. Now, all they have to do is go out and get the job done.
Tennessee has won enough games in 2016 to get their university to a bowl game. Nevertheless, the three losses are a huge disappointment for the team and their fans. The Volunteers get this game at home and need to prove that they still care enough to compete at a high level.
Las Vegas set this contest with the Tennessee volunteers as a 12 point favorite. The betting public has responded, betting the Vols up to 13.5. Get More Sports agrees with the original line-setters in this one. Put your money on the team that has urgency and a also lot to prove on its side. Take the Kentucky Wildcats to cover the 13.5 points.
