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The Kentucky Wildcats are coming off a clunker against Mississippi State as they dropped to 6-2 with a 31-17 loss in Starkville.
That performance was not what you want to see coming off a bye week, but the Cats will have to put it behind them and get ready for another tough matchup.
This week, the Cats will be back in Kroger Field for a battle with the Tennessee Volunteers, who have looked much better than expected this season.
The last trip to Lexington for the Vols was in 2019, a game that the Cats fell just short losing it 17-13 after Lynn Bowden was stopped on the Vols’ 2-yard line.
Last season, Kentucky went into Knoxville and used 187 rushing yards and 107 passing yards to power past the Vols in a 34-7 blowout win.
This season, the Vols sit at 4-4 and are coming off a BYE week after their 52-24 loss to Alabama in their last outing, but they have been scoring a lot of points regardless of opponent.
With that being said, it will be crucial that Will Levis, and the Kentucky offense have a bounce back game after their showing against Mississippi State because Tennessee is capable of scoring a lot of points as they average 37.4 points per game.
Overall, the Vols have a balanced offensive attack as they are averaging 231 yards through the air and 226 on the ground per game. The Cats’ defense will have to do a much better job in both areas this week.
For comparison, Kentucky is currently averaging 196 passing yards and 190 rushing yards per game.
On the defensive side, Tennessee has been giving up 249 passing yards and 144 rushing yards per game to opponents which gives Liam Coen’s balanced offensive attack a favorable matchup that they need to take advantage of.
Kentucky vs. Tennessee 2021
Start Time: The game will be a 7:00 pm ET kickoff
Location: Kroger Field
TV Channel: ESPN2
Online Steam: WatchESPN or the ESPN app
Radio: UK Sports Network
Odds: Kentucky opened as a 3-point favorite via DraftKings with an over/under of 58.5. ESPN’s matchup predictor actually gives the Vols a 51.3% chance of winning in Lexington.
Early Prediction: TeamRankings has the Cats winning 30-26.