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Tennessee vs. Kentucky: Last-Minute Predictions for Vols vs. Wildcats

By Caleb Calhoun

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The Tennessee vs. Kentucky football game has two teams still alive in the SEC East. Here are last-minute predictions for the Volunteers-Wildcats match-up.

In what might be considered a must-win for both programs to salvage what they expected to be this season, the Tennessee Vols and Kentucky Wildcats will both be desperate to win when they meet each other.

That’s at least one prediction we’ve got for you.

But what about the game?

The Vols and Wildcats are clearly loaded with talent and coaches that want to show a significant amount of improvement over what they did last year. But that’s going to be hard.

Here are the last-minute predictions for the Tennessee vs. Kentucky football game on Halloween.

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1. Joshua Dobbs Will Total 350 Yards

Mark Stoops’s team showed last week against the Mississippi State Bulldogs and last year when they played the Vols that they are terrible on defense against a dual-threat quarterback. Dak Prescott totaled 400 yards and six touchdowns last week.

With Jalen Hurd and Alvin Kamara to help with the running game, it is unlikely that Dobbs will total those numbers. But expect him to have a big day. Kentucky’s defense has shown no ability to stop guys like him, and it is unlikely to change.

2. Patrick Towles Will Connect on at Least Two Long Touchdowns

Although the offense has been inconsistent at times throughout the year, Patrick Towles is a really good football player leading a very solid unit. Meanwhile, the Tennessee Vols have struggled in the secondary all year thanks to issues at the No. 2 cornerback and nickel slot.

Justin Martin is moving in at No. 2 corner, but it is not completely fixed yet. And Towles has shown that he can find the big play. As a result, he will throw two touchdown passes that are 30 or more yards. This is no indicative of how Tennessee’s defense will play all night. But it will struggle on some plays.

3. The Vols Will Pick Up at Least Three Sacks on Defense

Patrick Towles and the Kentucky Wildcats showed against the Florida Gators that they have serious issues on offense against a good pass rush. They are going up against another one on Saturday.

The Tennessee Vols are led by superstar sophomore defensive end Derek Barnett on the defensive line, and Kendall Vickers, Corey Vereen, and even LaTroy Lewis are more than capable of getting pressure, as they showed last week. It will happen again on Saturday. Expect Towles to struggle to deal with it and be sacked at least three times.

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4. Stanley Williams Will Have 100 Yards Rushing for Kentucky

As a sophomore running back, Stanley Williams has run for 208 yards in the past two games. And he has not been used enough. But Mark Stoops is smart, and he will change that on Saturday.

Tennessee’s pass rush is great, but their rush defense is terrible, and they have trouble stopping the big play. Knowing this, Stoops will be smart enough to change his game plan to run the ball more with Williams to set up big passes. That’s where the big touchdown plays will come, along with the sacks. But it will also allow Williams to get 100 yards again.

5. Tennessee Will Dominate Field Position

It’s pretty simple here. The Vols might have the best punter in the country in Trevor Daniel. And the Kentucky Wildcats have a senior punter in Landon Foster who has been wildly inconsistent, inexplicably having his worst year ever.

Next: 5 Halloween Moments in Vols History

Foster is only averaging 39.9 yards per punt, so the punting will favor Tennessee. Meanwhile, the return game of Tennessee’s behind Evan Berry, Alvin Kamara, and Cameron Sutton will also help the Vols with field position. So expect them to play on Kentucky’s side for most of the game.

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