Nov. 27, 2013

Kentucky returns to Commonwealth Stadium for a border rivalry matchup with Tennessee in a game that will conclude the 2013 season for both teams.

Kentucky vs. Tennessee
Sat., Nov. 30 – 7:00 p.m. ET Lexington, Ky. Gameday Information Game Notes: UK | UT
Coverage
TV: ESPNU Live Video via WatchESPN Gameday Live : Live audio, blog, stats, and social media Text Updates
UK	2013 Team Stats	UT
21.1	Scoring/game	23.5
17.2	First downs/game	18.3
336.6	Total offense/game	347.5
148.7	Rushing yards/game	185.7
187.9	Passing yards/game	161.8
21.5	Kickoff returns (avg)	23.2
6.5	Punt returns (avg)	8.9
36.3	Punting (avg)	37.3
27:41	Time of possession/game	28:50
30.5	Third down conversion	34.5
63.0	Fourth down conversion	45.5
-1	Turnover margin	+2
31.5	Points allowed/game	30.4
428.1	Total yards allowed/game	420.7
195.5	Rush yards allowed/game	213.5
232.6	Pass yards allowed/game	207.2

Kentucky snapped a 26-game losing streak to Tennessee the last time the Volunteers visited Lexington, in 2011. Tennessee won last season in Knoxville, 37-17.

Kentucky has been opportunistic picking up fumbles this season as the Wildcats are tied for the SEC lead, and rank 11th nationally in fumbles recovered with 11. Additionally, having only intercepted one pass going into last week’s Georgia game, sophomore linebacker Khalid Henderson had a pick in the second quarter of the Bulldogs’ Aaron Murray.

Defensively, Avery Williamson continues to rank third in the SEC in tackles with 96, and he is averaging 8.7 per game. With four stops on Saturday, Williamson would total 100 tackles for the second straight year, and he is also 10 shy of 300 for his career.

Both Alvin “Bud” Dupree and Za’Darius Smith find themselves in the SEC top-10 in sacks this season.

Saturday’s game will be Senior Night for Kentucky as it honors 16 seniors for their hard work for the UK program the past four seasons. A complete list of senior is on page seven of the notes.

Cat Scratches: Cats looking to send off Williamson, seniors with another Tennessee win

Avery Williamson has been the face of Kentucky football, so it only made sense that he would represent his team at the unveiling of the designs for the new Commonwealth Stadium.

There, Williamson drew praise from nearly every speaker. University of Kentucky Athletics Committee Chair Dr. C.B. Akins, Sr., praised Williamson for being the model student-athlete, while Mark Stoops said he wished he had a team full of players like the star senior linebacker.

Now, Williamson will play the final game of his collegiate career on Saturday. … read the full preview

Scouting Tennessee

Tennessee enters Saturday’s season finale with a 4-7 record, including a 1-6 mark in SEC play. The Volunteers have wins this season over Austin Peay, Western Kentucky, South Alabama and then-No. 11 South Carolina. UT has played one of the toughest schedules in the nation this season having faced six teams ranked in the top 20 nationally at the time of the game. Tennessee is in its first year under head coach Butch Jones.

Junior quarterback Justin Worley leads the UT offense completing 109-of-196 passes for 1,239 yards and 10 touchdowns. Joshua Dobbs also has seen action at quarterback recently following an injury to Worley and has thrown for 496 yards while adding 137 rushing yards. The QBs’ favorite target this season has been Pig Howard, who has 42 catches for 380 yards and three touchdowns, while freshman wide receiver Marquez North has 38 catches for 496 yards and one touchdown. Senior running back Rajion Neal leads the team in rushing with 195 carries for 990 yards and 11 touchdowns, while junior running back Marlin Neal has 90 carries for 503 yards and four touchdowns. Tennessee is averaging 23.5 point per game this season.

The UT defense is led by junior linebacker A.J. Johnson, who has 97 tackles this season to go along with 7.5 tackles for loss, three pass breakups and three quarterback hurries. Sophomore defensive back Brian Randolph is second in tackles with 66, adding four interceptions, while junior defensive back Justin Coleman leads the team in pass breakups with six. Senior defensive lineman Marlon Walls is tied for the team lead in tackles for loss with 7.5, while pacing the team with 4.5 sacks. The UT defense has 14 interceptions this season and recovered 10 fumbles.