Kentucky Returns Home, Faces Tennessee on Saturday
The Wildcats return to Kroger Field this week for a showdown with border rival Tennessee and again have the opportunity to secure bowl eligibility with their sixth win of the season. Both teams enter the game seeking to wash away tough road losses last week.
Kentucky is still in the mix to make a run at the SEC East title but will need to reverse its recent history against Tennessee in order to do so. A year ago, the Cats scored the second-most points they ever had vs. the Volunteers in a regulation game but couldn’t pull out the win. The Cats will be looking to finish the deal this time around.
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| Kentucky vs. Tennessee | ||
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| Sat., Oct. 28 – 7:30 p.m. ET Kroger Field Lexington, Ky. Game Notes: UK  | UT Digital Gameday Program Clear Bag Policy Cat Walk – 5:15 Pregame Concert UK Athletics App |
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| Coverage | ||
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TV: SEC Network |
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| UK | 2017 Team Stats | UT |
| 5-2 | 2017 Record | 3-4 |
| 2-2 | Conference Record | 0-4 |
| 24.6 | Scoring/game | 19.6 |
| 336.7 | Total offense/game | 289.7 |
| 135.0 | Rushing yards/game | 124.6 |
| 201.7 | Passing yards/game | 165.1 |
| 23.5 | Kickoff returns (avg) | 26.5 |
| 20.8 | Punt returns (avg) | 13.2 |
| 43.0 | Punting (avg) | 46.6 |
| 31:14 | Time of possession/game | 26:46 |
| 40.0% | Third down conversion | 44.4% |
| 60.0% | Fourth down conversion | 50.0% |
| 24.7 | Points allowed/game | 26.9 |
| 393.7 | Total yards allowed/game | 405.1 |
| 123.6 | Rush yards allowed/game | 247.0 |
| 270.1 | Pass yards allowed/game | 158.1 |
The game will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET at Kroger Field and air on the SEC Network.
Cat Scratches: Cats Have Opportunity in Facing Adversity
Mark Stoops didn’t want to take the podium for his weekly press conference with a 45-7 loss to talk about. He’d have much preferred the score from Kentucky’s trip to Mississippi State was reversed.
Nonetheless, there he was. He figured he might as well find a positive in it all.
“Adversity kind of reveals a man to himself,” Stoops said. “So we’ll see how we respond.”
Stoops isn’t going to be passive in that process though. In fact, his entire day on Sunday and morning on Monday were consumed with figuring out exactly how he will approach his role.
“There’s always a team effort in getting things back,” Stoops said. “I’ve certainly spent a lot of time in the last day and a half getting prepared for that.”
Stoops’ role begins with addressing the Wildcats at their first team meeting of the week on Monday. He spent a little more time crafting that message this week…Read More
’06-’08 Bowl Championship Teams Honored This Weekend
UK Athletics Hall of Fame head coach Rich Brooks and members of the teams that won three consecutive bowl games from 2006-08 will return to Lexington to be recognized as part of an elite team reunion this weekend.
Brooks and his Wildcats will enjoy festivities starting on Friday when they attend football practice. A private reception will follow on Friday evening before members of the team are recognized at halftime of UK’s game vs. Tennessee on Saturday, which kicks off at 7:30 p.m. at Kroger Field.
Brooks’ teams remain the first and only in Kentucky football history to win three consecutive bowl games, claiming Music City Bowl victories over Clemson and Florida State and a Liberty Bowl win over East Carolina. The group was known for record-setting offensive performances and reenergizing the UK fan base, notably by scoring a pair of wins over top-10 teams in 2007 over No. 9 Louisville and No. 1 LSU…Read More
Scouting Tennessee
• The Volunteers are 3-4 (0-4 SEC) and currently in 5th in SEC East.
• The Vols started the season with a wild, come-from-behind 42-41 victory over Georgia Tech in the season opener.
• Head coach, Butch Jones, is in his fifth season with the Vols.
• Under his leadership, Tennessee has become one of just three SEC teams to win at least nine games the last two seasons and one of just nine teams in the nation to win bowl games in three consecutive seasons.
• Coming into this season, Jones has pushed the Vols to a 30-21 mark and three straight winning seasons for the first time in 12 years.
• The Vols’ offense is lead by a number of dynamic players, including John Kelly.
• Kelly is enjoying a standout season and has emerged as one of the most dynamic running backs in the nation. He has topped the 100-yard rushing mark three times this season, including a career-best 141 yards against Florida on Sept. 16. Kelly has been added to the 2017 watch list for the 81st Maxwell award.
• Redshirt freshman Jarrett Guarantano is also emerging as an important part of the Vols offense. He made his first start at quarterback against South Carolina.
• Tennessee’s defense has been led by the efforts of players such as sophomore linebacker Daniel Bituli and senior linebacker Colton Jumper
• Bituli leads the team with 57 total tackles while Jumper leads the defense with seven tackles for loss and 4.5 quarterback sacks.
• The Volunteers have dangerous kick returners as Ty Chandler averages 28.2 yards per kickoff return and Marquez Callaway averages 13.2 yards on punt returns.
Series vs. Tennessee
• Tennessee leads the all-time series 79-24-9, including 37-14-3 in Lexington.
• The Volunteers have won five straight meetings, including last year’s 49-36 decision in Knoxville.
• Kentucky’s last win over the Vols came at home in 2011, a 10-7 victory led by receiverturned-quarterback Matt Roark.
• In 2016, the Cats piled up 635 yards of total offense vs. Tennessee. It was the program’s seventh most all-time in a game.
• The Cats also rushed for 443 yards, their second-most ever in a game.
• Five players rushed for at least 72 yards: Boom Williams (127), Jojo Kemp (90), Benny Snell Jr. (79), Sihiem King (75) and Stephen Johnson (72).
• The 36 points UK scored were the most for the Cats against the Vols in a regulation game since the first meeting between the rivals in 1893 (56).
A UK Win Would…
• Make the Cats bowl eligible for a second consecutive season.
• Give the Cats 13 wins in their past 18 regular season games.
• Give UK a 6-2 start to the season, its best start since 6-2 in 2007.
• Mark UK’s fourth home win of the season.
• Be starting QB Stephen Johnson’s 13th win since taking over in 2016, 11th as a starter and two in a relief role.
• Be the Cats’ 20th win on the SEC Network since Mark Stoops took over as head coach (20-15).
• Make the Cats 3-2 in SEC play and give them seven league wins the past two seasons.
Texas Roadhouse Countdown to Kickoff Show
The Countdown to Kickoff show will air starting two hours prior to kickoff. Freddie Maggard will serve as the analyst on the Texas Roadhouse Countdown to Kickoff alongside host Christi Thomas. For home games, the show will air live from in front of Nutter Field House outside gate 1 of Kroger Field with special guests and giveaways. The set of the show is conveniently located near the Coke Fan Zone in Nutter Field House and the Cat Walk presented by Chevy.
For the first time, the Texas Roadhouse Countdown to Kickoff will go on the road and broadcast live from select Kroger locations in Kentucky.
Nov. 11 (Vanderbilt) – 212 Kroger Way, Versailles
Nov. 18 (Georgia) – 3175 Beaumont Circle, Lexington
