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Kentucky vs. Tennessee: TV/Streaming Info, Keys to the Game, and Predictions

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The Kentucky Wildcats lining up against the Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium.
UK Athletics | Elliott Hess

After back-to-back losses, in embarrassing fashion as well, the bye week came at a favorable time for the Kentucky Wildcats. That said, the Wildcats will pick back up in the toughest stretch of their schedule and return to action against a No. 21 ranked Tennessee Volunteer team.

Looking at both teams, they are having somewhat similar seasons. In terms of record, both teams hold 5-2 overall records and 2-2 records in the conference. Big picture, both teams have fallen short of expectations. This Saturday, one team will become bowl-eligible and re-enter the top half of the SEC East.

Let’s take a closer look at the cross-border rivalry matchup and the keys of the game for Kentucky.

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Run Defense

One of the more disappointing things about this year’s Kentucky team has been the defense, especially the pass defense. After five straight seasons of top-5 SEC defenses, Kentucky is currently sitting 9th in the conference in team defense.

Giving up an average of 347 yards on the season, the Wildcats give up an average of 251 yards through the air, ranking only ahead of South Carolina and Vanderbilt. As bad as the pass defense has been, the run defense has been great. In fact, the Wildcats are one of just two teams in the SEC, joining Georgia, giving up under rushing 100 yards per game.

Tennessee’s offense may play into Kentucky’s hands. After getting more than sixty percent of their yards through the air last season, the Volunteer offense is much more focused on the run game. In fact, they run the ball 54 percent of the time, only behind Alabama and Ole Miss in the SEC. In each of their losses, the Vols have been held to under 140 rushing yards.

Will the Passing Game Start to Click after the Bye Week?

In 2013, Mark Stoops inherited one of the worst rosters in all of college football. Now, ten years later, he has raised the program to its highest point of the modern era. That said, there is still more room to grow, and according to Mark Stoops, that starts with the passing game.

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“We want to grow as a program,” Stoops said in his weekly press conference on Monday. “We can sit there and second guess ourselves and look at that last time we took the field and say, ‘Hey, we could sit there and run the ball maybe twenty more times and have a better chance to win the game, but are we really growing as an organization? Are we really winning and becoming that team that we want to become?’”

After investing heavily into the passing game last offseason – bringing back Liam Coen as offensive coordinator and a substantial NIL investment in bringing in Devin Leary and returning the receivers – it is beyond asking when there will be a return. With that said, a bye week could help refocus things, and there is no better time to get things than against your biggest conference rival.

Discipline

It is hard to win games in the SEC, but it is even harder to win games when you are constantly shooting yourself in the foot with penalties. On the season, Kentucky has 54 penalties for 479 yards. Interestingly, that is the second most in the SEC, behind only Tennesse who has 56 penalties for 470 yards.

Over the season, discipline has been an area that the staff has taken accountability for with the media. However, Kentucky’s most recent performance against Missouri was their most undisciplined of the season, with 14 penalties for 122 yards.

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Entering the bye week, the staff and players said multiple times that discipline was an area that “must improve.” Given that this is an intense rivalry, between the two most penalized teams in the SEC, this will be a good test to see if that improvement has taken place.

Kentucky Wildcats (5-2, 2-2 SEC) vs. No. 21 Tennessee Volunteers (5-2, 2-2 SEC)

Time/Date: 7:00 pm ET on Saturday, October 28th, 2023
Location: Kroger Field in Lexington, KY
TV Channel: ESPN
Announcers: TBA
Online Stream: WatchESPNESPN+, SEC Network+, or the ESPN app.
Radio: Tom Leach and Jeff Piecoro have the UK radio network call on the UK Sports Radio Network.
Satellite Radio: XM Channel 203, Sirius Channel 98, Internet Channel 966
Replay: WatchESPN and SEC Network (check local listings).
Rosters: UK | UT
Stats To Know: UK | UT

Covers.com Weather Forecast:

Odds: DraftKings Sportsbook has Kentucky listed as a 3.5-point underdog. ESPN’s matchup predictor puts Kentucky as a moderate underdog, giving the Wildcats just a 29.1% chance to win.

PredictionsTeamRankings has Tennessee coming away with a 27-24 win, with DRatings.com also picking the Volunteers in a 28-24 victory. Looking at history, the Wildcats have only beaten Tennessee three times since 1984. While on paper, it is possible, I am not one to pick Kentucky to beat Tennessee until it becomes more consistent. That said, I predict Tennessee to win 31-21.

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Also published on A Sea of Blue.

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Grammy Nominated Music Star Has Credit Card Stolen, Thief Buys 15 Hotdogs at Kentucky Football Game

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A Kentucky football fan stole music artist Noah Kahan's wallet at an airport and purchased 15 overpriced hot dogs.
Piet Levy | Imagn

Not a lot of good things came from Kentucky’s 24-10 loss to Auburn on Saturday, but one fan did get FIFTEEN (yes, 1-5) hot dogs courtesy of Grammy-nominated folk-pop artist Noah Kahan.

To clarify it was not a gift, rather the fan stole Kahan’s wallet at Laguardia Airport in New York City. Of all the places for it to venture to, it was Kroger Field.

“The guy who took my wallet went to a Kentucky football game last night,” Kahan shared on social media. “I just know that Mofo bought 15 overpriced hot dogs.”

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Kahan has found comedy in the situation, despite having hundreds of dollars in hot dogs purchased on his dime.

“Come on dawg we gotta be collaborative in our spending!! Check with me first,” Kahan shared.

Kahan headlined Railbird Music Festival in Lexington this past summer. Maybe the next time he is in town, he can get a hot dog of his own.

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RECAP: Auburn defeats Kentucky, 24-10

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The Tigers came into Kroger Field looking for their first SEC win while Kentucky was trying to keep bowl hopes alive after disappointing back-to-back losses to Vanderbilt and Florida. Auburn hadn’t won at Kentucky since their 2015 campaign where they came away with a close 30-27 victory in Lexington.

The Cat Walk crowd was less than usual despite the three-crew fighter jet flyby. Many wondered if fans would show up and show out for the Cats this week and early it looked like it might be a slim crowd, but as game time neared Kroger Field began to take shape and fans flowed in.

First Half Battle

Kentucky opened the game up quickly, Dane Key helped get the Cats started with an impressive 21-yard grab on the left sideline, later kicker Alex Raynor put the ‘Cats up first with a 46-yard field goal, with 11:28 to go in the first quarter.

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Next, The ‘Cats’ tough defense forced an Auburn three and out at the Auburn 9-yard line to retake possession. Dane Key wasn’t done just yet, again he made another big grab this time for 34 yards which set up Jason Patterson for a 23-yard run to put Kentucky in scoring position and it was a score this time from freshman Jamarion Wilcox for his first career touchdown run to put the ‘Cats up 10-0 in the first quarter. JQ Hardaway later gave Kentucky the ball back after a pick that put Kentucky into scoring position but was later halted after a holding penalty and forced the ‘Cats to punt.

The second quarter was a little different with Kentucky opening up with a punt that later led to Auburn points with a touchdown from wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith which trimmed the Kentucky lead to just three with 10:56 to go in the half. Later in the quarter, Brock Vandagriff dropped back to throw which led to an Auburn interception from Keyron Crawford on the sideline that gave the Tigers possession at the Auburn 37-yard line and led to 3 points for the Tigers which tied the game at 10 a piece.

Then in a turn of events Auburn star running back Jaquez Hunter broke two runs to put the Tigers in scoring position before the half but Kentucky’s JJ Weaver sacked Payton Thorne which left Auburn with no timeouts and didn’t allow any time for the late field goal which ended the quarter at a 10 to 10 tie.

Second Half Disaster

Auburn’s offense began the half fast and so did running back Jarquez Hunter who found the end zone to give the Tigers a 17 to 10 lead with 7:53 to go in the third quarter. Kentucky’s first possession was a quick three-and-out,

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which led to Auburn getting the football and giving it to their guy Jarquez Hunter who ran for 50 yards but Kentucky’s defense prevailed to stop the Tigers which forced a 47-yard field goal miss from kicker Alex McPherson.

It was much the same in the final quarter of play in which Auburn and Hunter went on a 4-minute 45-second scoring drive where Hunter took it to the House for 45 yards with 12:11 to go. The Cats did however get into the red zone but the Tigers’ goal line defense stopped the Cats and forced a Gavin Wimsatt interception after coming to in the game for Brock Vandergriff after a sloppy performance, Kayin Lee was the defender who made the pick to give Auburn the ball back. Then on Auburn’s final drive, it was yet again another long gain from Jarquez Hunter who ran it for 46 yards to later lead to Auburn and Peyton Thorne kneeling it out. The Auburn would later come out of Kroger field victorious and beat the Kentucky Wildcats 24-10.

Jarquez Hunter’s record breaking game

There were many key takeaways from a very disappointing outcome but it was no bigger than running back Jarquez Hunter who rushed for 278 yards and 2 touchdowns, his 278 yards set a new record for most rushing yards by an opposing player against Kentucky inside Kroger Field credit to Corey Price for the record stat, after the game coach Mark Stoops had high praise for Hunter, saying “He’s an NFL back”, Mel Kiper’s latest mock draft doesn’t it have him within the top 10 running backs but that will likely change after his record performance.

Bowl Chances?

Kentucky likely drops themselves out of bowl eligibility standing now at 3-5 on the season and 1-5 in the SEC moving them to 15th in the conference standing only ahead of Mississippi State, Kentucky’s schedule isn’t easy either playing on the road at top 10 Tennessee in Knoxville, a Bye week follows the game before taking on the Murray State Racers at home, the next game is a road trip to Austin where the ‘Cats will play the Texas Longhorns who are high favorites to win the College Football Playoffs, and a season finale against arch rival Louisville on senior day for the ‘Cats. The schedule couldn’t get any tougher and the ‘Cats would have to win 3 of their last 4 games to become bowl-eligible to salvage what has really been a disaster of a season.

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Who’s the quarterback going forward?

Kentucky and Mark Stoops have a big decision to make with four games remaining. In the second half, backup Gavin Wimsatt took over for Brock Vandagriff after some sloppy play to try and give the ‘Cats a much-needed boost and keep them in reach. It was, however, much of the same with Wimsatt that many in the fan base are questioning. Wimsatt finished with just 34 yards on 3 of 10 passing while Brock Vandagriff finished with 120 yards on 9 of 17 passing.

Mark Stoops after the game said he “Just wanted to get a good look at Gavin and see if he can help us move the ball.” also said ” I don’t want any headlines on that. Gavin has been playing all year. We had – we planned on putting him in the third series of the game. But we moved the ball very well in the first two. Right? So. If I put him in in the first series of the game, but in hindsight, it would have run out anyway but you’d be asking me why in the world did I take him out when we were moving the ball. You know what I’m saying? I think we judge that and say we are moving the ball pretty well, let’s stick with what is going right. We went three and out and you know, that’s it.” when asked about a potential quarterback battle late in the season. It sure is unknown what’s next for the Kentucky football program but time will tell as the ‘Cats get ready for a tough top 10 Tennessee Volunteers squad that has already defeated Alabama at home 24-17.

Where to watch the Cats versus Vols

The Kentucky versus Tennessee game will be at 7:45 PM on Saturday, November 2nd. The game can be found on the SEC NETWORK as Mark Stoops’ squad looks to get back on track on ole Rocky Top.

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Ray Davis and His Journey From Homelessness to the NFL, “When I Was on the Field, All My Worries Disappeared

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Buffalo Bills rookie running back Ray Davis opens up about his journey from homelessness to the NFL, and his desire to help others.
Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Ray Davis has faced more challenges than most on his way to the NFL. Growing up, he experienced homelessness, moving from shelter to shelter with his family. Kentucky Insider wrote about this last season. But rather than let these hardships define him, Davis used them as motivation to chase his dreams of playing football at the highest level.

In a recent interview with Good Morning Football, Davis opened up again about his past and how his experiences shaped him. He explained that during those difficult years, football provided an escape and a sense of purpose. “When I was on the field, all my worries disappeared,” Davis shared.

His college football journey was unique, he started at Temple University, where he impressed with his strong performance as a freshman. Afterward, he transferred to Vanderbilt, where he continued to hone his skills against top competition. Finally, Davis found his way to the University of Kentucky, where he became a standout running back. At every stop, he faced adversity and improved from it.

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“I just kind of kept putting my head down and understanding every adversity that came towards me, I got to face it,” Davis said. “There’s no running away. If I ran away, I wouldn’t be here today. I wouldn’t be able to have this voice, this platform, and just this ability to showcase a new world where no matter who tells you you can’t make it, if you live by what you believe in, you will achieve anything that you want to achieve.”

Now in the NFL, Davis hopes to continue sharing his story. He uses his platform to encourage people going through tough times to stay determined. “No matter how tough life gets, don’t give up,” he advises. His journey reminds us that success isn’t just about talent—it’s about perseverance, dedication, and staying true to your dreams.

Davis not only plays for himself but also for all those who face similar challenges. He hopes his journey from homelessness to the NFL can inspire others to believe in themselves, no matter their circumstances. His story is one of resilience and a relentless belief that hard work can change lives.

“For me, it was about, at the day, everybody goes through adversity, everybody faces challenges that, you know, they feel like they can or cannot overcome,” Davis said. “And I understood the position I was in, that if I were to give up, who would be an advocate for kids, who would be a spokesman, who could be a mentor, who could be a role model? I felt that at the age of 12 and at the age of 14, 15, and so on, that I was going to have to be that role model. I was willing to take the lead and to show everybody that there is a way, there is a possibility to achieve the dream that you want. It may not be the most easiest ride, but at the end of the day, there might be a lot of bumps and bruises, but you’ll make it there. You’ll get there.”

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Catch the full interview here.

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