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Tennessee football: Five Vols to watch for against Kentucky

By Dean Zulkofske

KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 09: Deandre Johnson #13 of the Tennessee Volunteers reacts after forcing a fumble during the second half of the game against the Indiana State Sycamores at Neyland Stadium on September 9, 2017 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 09: Deandre Johnson #13 of the Tennessee Volunteers reacts after forcing a fumble during the second half of the game against the Indiana State Sycamores at Neyland Stadium on September 9, 2017 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /
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ATHENS, GEORGIA – OCTOBER 10: Kivon Bennett #95 of the Tennessee Volunteers recovers a fumble by Stetson Bennett #13 of the Georgia Bulldogs for a touchdown during the first half at Sanford Stadium on October 10, 2020 in Athens, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
ATHENS, GEORGIA – OCTOBER 10: Kivon Bennett #95 of the Tennessee Volunteers recovers a fumble by Stetson Bennett #13 of the Georgia Bulldogs for a touchdown during the first half at Sanford Stadium on October 10, 2020 in Athens, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

Here are the key Tennessee football Volunteers against UK in Knoxville, Tenn. at Neyland Stadium Saturday.

The first opportunity for Tennessee football to bounce back from a loss comes this Saturday against another SEC East rival in the Kentucky Wildcats. For the Vols, at some points, a lot went right last week against the Georgia Bulldogs. Rocky Top recovered a fumble for a touchdown, had two huge passing scores, and even had a lead at halftime.

In the end, though, Georgia proved to be too much in the second half, and UT was handed its first loss of the season in a 44-21 defeat. On the other hand, Kentucky is coming off its first win of the season, a 24-2 win over the same Mississippi State Bulldogs team that beat the LSU Tigers in Week 1 under first-year head coach Mike Leach.

Historically, Tennessee football has absolutely dominated the rivalry between UT and UK. Of the 115 times the two schools have met on the gridiron, the Vols have won 81 times, Kentucky has won 25, and nine contests have ended in a tie. Jeremy Pruitt is 2-0 against Kentucky ever since arriving in 2018, and the Vols have lost only two contests to UK dating back to 1985.

Despite Kentucky’s 1-2 record, the Wildcats do have a lot of strengths that could spell disaster for the Vols if they don’t show up to play. Kentucky’s rushing defense is ranked eighth in the nation with just 83.3 yards allowed per game. They also have a fairly diverse offense with dual-threat quarterback Terry Wilson under center and the best rushing offense in the SEC.

Last week against the Georgia Bulldogs, the Tennessee football players we told you to watch for posted two touchdowns, 71 yards, and three tackles, but who can Vol Nation look for to get the job done this Saturday? Here are the five Vols to watch for against the Kentucky Wildcats.

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