After their 2nd and final BYE week of the season, the Kentucky Wildcats will take the field in Lexington for a matchup with the Tennessee Volunteers. The game is scheduled to start at 7:30 pm EST on the SEC Network.
The main story for the Cats coming in will be Lynn Bowden and his excellent QB play the last 3 games as he has led the team to a 2-1 record in those games replacing the injured Sawyer Smith.
Bowden has had most of his success on the ground rushing 62 times for 499 yards and 4 TDs. He took over the Arkansas and Missouri games with his running ability and put this team on his back in those victories.
Head coach Mark Stoops hasn’t asked Bowden to do a lot through the air, but 2 of his starts have been in pouring rain, which hurts the passing attack. In 3 games, Bowden is 12/33 (36%) for 149 yards and a TD.
The Cats’ defense has been improving each week, and that was the case again against Missouri, as they held the Tigers to just 7 points on just their 4th passing TD given up this season.
Tennessee is coming to Lexington with a lot of momentum on their side, as they are coming off back-to-back blowout wins over South Carolina and UAB.
The Vols have the 3rd ranked defense in the SEC and will be looking to shut down the Cats’ rushing attack that has been so dominant the last 3 weeks.
Tennessee is a much better team than their record shows, and the Cats will have to come out ready to play because a win will set Kentucky up to finish the season very strong.
Game: Tennessee Volunteers (4-5,2-3) at Kentucky Wildcats (4-4,2-4)
Location: Kroger Field- Lexington, Kentucky
Start Time: 7:30 Eastern/6:30 Central on November 9th, 2019
TV Info: SEC Network
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Odds: Kentucky opened as a 3.5 point favorite at home. ESPN’s Football Power Index gives Kentucky a 57.3% chance of winning the game.
Score Projection: TeamRankings projects a 27-25 win for Kentucky, but numberFire has the Vols winning 18-17