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All for Tennessee Official Week 11 SEC Power Rankings

By Caleb Calhoun

Nov 12, 2016; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Butch Jones celebrates with the team after the game against the Kentucky Wildcats at Neyland Stadium. Tennessee won 49 to 36. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 12, 2016; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Butch Jones celebrates with the team after the game against the Kentucky Wildcats at Neyland Stadium. Tennessee won 49 to 36. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 12, 2016; Knoxville, TN, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Stoops speaks with Kentucky Wildcats cornerback J.D. Harmon (11) during the third quarter against the Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 12, 2016; Knoxville, TN, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Stoops speaks with Kentucky Wildcats cornerback J.D. Harmon (11) during the third quarter against the Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports /

Well, they did lose to the Vols, but the Kentucky Wildcats actually earned the right to move up in the process. For starters, they never quit in their loss.

Mark Stoops’s team gained over 600 yards of total offense and over 400 yards on the ground alone. Meanwhile, they took an early lead on the Vols and kept it close through the third quarter. It was just the period between the midway point of the third and the midway point of the fourth where they fell apart.

Stephen Johnson is still an elite and mobile quarterback to run this offense, and the unit has a slew of running backs. That makes for a high-powered scoring machine.

Unfortunately, the defense needs work. But let’s still not discount how Stoops revitalized this team midway through the year.

At 5-5, they are in the best position they have been in since he took over to finally reach a bowl game. That’s because this week, they get to face Austin Peay at home. That’ll get the bowl eligible monkey off their back.

Then they close out the regular season with a chance for a huge win against the Louisville Cardinals. Sure, it’s a long shot. But these Wildcats have a different mentality. That mentality moved them up in our SEC Power Rankings.

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