Know Your Enemy: Kentucky Wildcats

Nov 8, 2014; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats quarterback Patrick Towles (14) runs the ball against the Georgia Bulldogs in the first half at Commonwealth Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

Who: Kentucky Wildcats — Lexington, KY

Distance From Knoxville: 174 miles

Head coach: Mark Stoops (2nd season with Kentucky, 7-15, 2-13 SEC)

Conference: SEC

2014 Record: 5-5 (2-5)

Ranking: N/A

All time series: Tennessee leads 76-24-9

Last meeting: Tennessee won in Lexington last season, 27-14

Leading Passer: Patrick Towles — 2,374 yards, 14 TDs, 6 INTs

Leading Rusher: Stanley Williams — 52 carries, 361 yards, 3 TDs

Leading Receiver: Ryan Timmons — 41 catches, 508 yards, 2 TDs

Earlier this season, there was talk about the Kentucky Wildcats taking “the next step” in their rebuilding process and that Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops had his team ahead of Butch Jones’s Tennessee squad. What some people failed to realize, however, was how back-loaded the Wildcats’ schedule was.

Kentucky won 5 of its first 6 games, with its only loss coming controversially in overtime against the Florida Gators. Their wins were over UT-Martin, Ohio, Vanderbilt, South Carolina, and UL-Monroe. Competition stiffened over the next month for the Wildcats, and they have now lost 4 straight to the likes of LSU, Mississippi State, Missouri, and Georgia by a combined score of 169-75.

Now at 5-5, the Wildcats are in danger of missing out on the postseason once again after a promising start. With road games against the Vols and Louisville still remaining, it looks unlikely Kentucky will find that 6th victory to gain bowl-eligibility.

The Wildcats are playing their 8th straight game without a bye week this Saturday when they take on the Vols, and a 63-31 drubbing by Georgia last weekend might have happened, in part, because of exhaustion starting to settle in.

Kentucky, like Tennessee’s previous foe, South Carolina, has an extremely dichotomous team. The Wildcats possess an offense that ranks ahead of the Vols in every major statistical category, but their defense has been porous, especially recently. After facing a South Carolina squad who ranked dead last in the SEC in rushing defense and scoring defense, the Vols will face the 2nd and 3rd worst defense in those regards.

The Wildcats ranks 10th in the SEC in total defense (390 yards per game), 12th in scoring defense (28.1), 13th in rushing defense (199.7) and last in 3rd down defense, allowing opponents to convert on 3rd downs 43.62% of the time. Kentucky does have some strengths, however, as they rank 5th in passing defense (190.3) and are tied for 5th in sacks (23).

The Vols also have history on their side. Kentucky’s ugly 10-7 victory in 2011 has been their only win in the series since a 17-12 victory in 1984, and the 2011 win ended a 26-year drought for the Wildcats. Despite the rivalry being one-sided, the series’ recent history shows a closer-than-expected margin of victory for the Vols. The average score in the series since 2006 has been 27.6-18.9, and 6 of those 8 games have been decided by two scores or less.

Kentucky boasts a rather balanced offense spear-headed by a serviceable dual-threat quarterback. Sophomore QB Patrick Towles can make plays with his arm and with his legs, as he has rushed for 266 yards on a team-high 119 carries, scoring 5 times as well. While Towles started strong, he’s hit somewhat of a wall down the stretch, averaging only 208.3 passing yards per game and completing only 53.4% of his passes in the last 4 games.

While the Vols almost exclusively feature freshman running back Jalen Hurd out of the backfield, the Wildcats have one of the most balanced rushing attacks in the conference. They use four running backs, and all four have carried the ball between 52-64 times and rushed for between 285-361 yards. Jojo Kemp and Braylon Heard are likely the most talented of the four, but freshman Mikel Horton has play-making ability and Stanley Williams leads the team with 361 rushing yards.

Even though Ryan Timmons leads the Wildcats in receptions and yards, both Demarco Robinson and Javess Blue have a penchant for big plays, as they both have hauled in passes of greater than 75 yards. Kentucky also likes to get their running backs involved in the passing game as well.

This Kentucky squad will be one of the more talented Wildcat teams the Vols have faced in a while, and head coach Mark Stoops has them on the right track in the rebuilding process and will continue to have success as long as he maintains the momentum he has in recruiting. At this juncture, however, the Vols appear to be ahead of Kentucky, and a packed Neyland Stadium should make an already difficult game for Kentucky even tougher.

All stats taken from cfbstats.com and all series info taken from collegefootball.bz unless noted otherwise