Tennessee Volunteers Vs. Kentucky Wildcats: Game Preview And Stat Comparison

by Joel Hollingsworth on Nov 23, 2010 8:01 AM EST in Tennessee Volunteer Football

A weekly look at our upcoming opponent's recent history, with animated drive charts, links to SB Nation game pages, and statistical comparisons.

CAVEATS: You know the drill. Also, this: all of the following information is gleaned exclusively from the NCAA statistics and does not account for things like injuries, shared playing time, and other stuff difficult to see in the stats from a bird's eye view. As always, this is a long post, so I've put the conclusions and predictions before and after the meat. You're not seeing double.

Sketchy Conclusions

Tennessee and Kentucky are fairly even on resume. Both have beaten Vandy, the difference in the game, as shown by the drive charts anyway, being that Kentucky finished strong and Tennessee didn't. Both teams also lost to Florida and Georgia. Kentucky beat South Carolina, who beat Tennessee, but Tennessee beat Ole Miss, who beat Kentucky. Got all that? Overall, Tennessee's played a fairly stronger schedule, so the stats should be viewed accordingly.
Kentucky is mostly a top 25 team on offense. They feature the best passing offense Tennessee will have seen all season, and they rank right up there with Oregon and Alabama in several other offensive stats.
On defense, the Wildcats are best at pass defense (12th in the nation), but they're vulnerable against the run (88th in the nation).
Randall Cobb is a one man wrecking machine, but QB Mike Hartline is also very good. Cobb is a receiver who ranks second in the nation in all-purpose running. He leads the team and is ranked nationally in both receiving categories, leads the team and is ranked nationally in both kickoff and punt returns, and leads the team in rushing yards. He may be the guy who retrieves the tee on kickoffs, too, I don't know.
The numbers favor Kentucky, but several things may work to Tennessee's advantage to deny the numbers their day. The Vols have played a better schedule, they have home field advantage on Senior Day, and they've been better able to win the turnover battle. And curses and streaks have ways of self-perpetuating. But they also have this nasty knack of coming to an end.

Predictions

Kentucky 35, Tennessee 28. Apologies.

Schedule and Animated Drive Charts


@ Louisville Cardinals	9/4/10	win 23 - 16	coverage
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers	9/11/10	win 63 - 28	coverage
Akron Zips	9/18/10	win 47 - 10	coverage
@ Florida Gators	9/25/10	loss 14 - 48	coverage
@ Mississippi Rebels	10/2/10	loss 35 - 42	coverage
Auburn Tigers	10/9/10	loss 34 - 37	coverage
South Carolina Gamecocks	10/16/10	win 31 - 28	coverage
Georgia Bulldogs	10/23/10	loss 31 - 44	coverage
@ Mississippi St. Bulldogs	10/30/10	loss 17 - 24	coverage
Charleston Southern Buccaneers	11/6/10	win 49 - 21	coverage
Vanderbilt Commodores	11/13/10	win 38 - 20	coverage

Let's see here. Tennessee and Kentucky both lost to the Gators and the Bulldogs and both beat Vandy. They lost to an Ole Miss team Tennessee beat, but they beat a South Carolina to which Tennessee lost. And so we go to the drive charts. Here's how Kentucky did against Vanderbilt:

FULL SCREEN VERSION

Animated Drive Charts brought to you by Gameday Depot.

And here again is how Tennessee did against the Commodores:

FULL SCREEN VERSION

Hmm. Really, those two drive charts look sorta similar. Right up until the point that Kentucky kicked it into gear. The Wildcats finished strong. We . . . did what we do.

National Unit Rankings

OFFENSIVE RANKINGS
Category	National Rank	Actual	National Leader	Actual	Conf Rank	SEC Leader	Actual
Rushing Offense	43	167.18	Georgia Tech	319.36	6	Auburn	307.91
Passing Offense	20	274.36	Hawaii	391.18	2	Arkansas	340.09
Total Offense	22	441.55	Oklahoma St.	552.00	3	Auburn	505.18
Scoring Offense	22	34.73	Oregon	50.70	4	Auburn	42.82
Passing Efficiency	22	150.51	Boise St.	185.81	6	Auburn	182.07
Sacks Allowed	24	1.18	Army	.36	2	Mississippi	1.00

Offensive observations. I had no idea that Kentucky is a top 25 team in every offensive category but one. They have the best passing offense Tennessee has seen all year. Only Oregon's better in total offense, and only Oregon and Alabama are better in scoring offense. And will Tennessee be able to get any sacks? Justin Wilcox is going to have his hands full Saturday.

DEFENSIVE RANKINGS
Category	National Rank	Actual	National Leader	Actual	Conf Rank	SEC Leader	Actual
Rushing Defense	88	178.64	Boise St.	72.30	11	South Carolina	96.09
Pass Efficiency Defense	51	123.25	Nebraska	93.77	6	Alabama	96.02
Total Defense	42	347.00	TCU	223.18	7	LSU	286.91
Scoring Defense	81	28.91	TCU	10.91	10	Alabama	12.82
Pass Defense	12	168.36	TCU	134.64	2	LSU	151.82
Sacks	T-77	1.73	Boise St.	3.90	10	South Carolina	3.27
Tackles For Loss	T-49	6.09	Boise St.	8.80	10	Vanderbilt	7.55

Defensive observations. This is a little bit better, except that they appear to be built to stop the thing Tennessee does best. They're not particularly awesome at anything, and they're particularly bad at stopping the run, but they'll be the second-best pass defense the Vols have faced this season.

SPECIAL TEAMS AND TURNOVERS RANKINGS
Category	National Rank	Actual	National Leader	Actual	Conf Rank	SEC Leader	Actual
Net Punting	52	36.90	Florida	42.24	8	Florida	42.24
Punt Returns	78	7.04	Oregon	20.73	9	Arkansas	18.31
Kickoff Returns	46	22.67	UCF	28.82	5	Florida	26.41
Turnover Margin	75	-.27	Virginia Tech	1.36	11	Alabama	1.09

Special teams and turnovers observations. With do-everything Randall Cobb on the team, I expected to see better "offensive" special teams numbers, but they're really just middle of the road on kickoff returns and don't rank well on punt returns. Keep an eye on that turnover margin, too, because if turnovers are more skill than luck (a debateable presumption), then Tennessee (#34 in turnover margin) should have a chance regardless of what the other numbers say.

Stastical Comparison

Here's how the teams looked when the RTT BlogPoll Computery Thing chewed them up and spit them out all wet and sloppy.

Rank	Team	WL	SOS	PED	RD	3DO	TD	PEO	OPPG	TO	3DD
54		52	58	51	88	32	42	22	81	22	56
68		69	24	31	65	86	71	41	63	76	60

Well, that's a bit surprising, too, I think. Forget the rank and win/loss, as those can be sort of the results of the other categories. Tennessee ranks better in the three most-heavily weighted categories, and markedly so. Kentucky pretty much takes over from there, though, with the exception of opponent points per game.

Players to watch for

Category	Player	National Rank	Actual
OFFENSE
Rushing	Randall Cobb		34.18
Passing Efficiency (Min. 15 Att./Game)	Mike Hartline	24	148.95
Total Offense	Mike Hartline	29	261.82
Receptions Per Game	Randall Cobb	25	6.00
	Chris Matthews	T-61	4.64
	La'Rod King		2.91
Receiving Yards Per Game	Randall Cobb	T-32	76.27
	Chris Matthews	39	73.82
	La'Rod King		38.82
Scoring	Randall Cobb	67	7.45
	Craig McIntosh		6.10
	Chris Matthews		4.91
DEFENSE
Interceptions	Winston Guy		.18
Sacks	Danny Trevathan		.27
	Luke McDermott		.27
Tackles	Danny Trevathan	T-9	10.91
	Winston Guy	T-67	8.27
Tackles For Loss	Danny Trevathan	T-21	1.36
SPECIAL TEAMS
Punting (Min. 3.6 Punts/Game)	Ryan Tydlacka	19	44.46
Punt Returns (Min. 1.2 Ret./Game)	Randall Cobb	43	7.88
Kickoff Returns (Min. 1.2 Ret./Game)	Randall Cobb	63	23.52
Field Goals	Craig McIntosh	T-64	1.00
	Ryan Tydlacka		.09
All-Purpose Runners	Randall Cobb	2	186.09
	Chris Matthews		73.82

Observations

Offense. Randall Cobb and Mike Hartline make this team go. Cobb ranks well in several categories, but the thing that makes him so special is that he does so many different things for the 'Cats. He's listed as a wide receiver, and at that position, he ranks 25th and 32nd in receptions and receiving yards per game. Credit Hartline with some of that, as Hartline is also hitting WR Chris Matthews enough to make him 61st and 39th in the same categories. But Cobb doesn't stop there. He's also the team's leading rusher. And the punt returner, where he ranks 43rd. And the kickoff returner, where he ranks 63rd. All of that contributes to Cobb's #67 ranking in the scoring stat and to the most impressive stat of all: #2 in the nation in all-purpose rushing. For a receiver. Cobb is one of those guys you never really stop, but those kinds of guys are vulnerable to frustration if you can limit them enough. (Hi, Peter Warrick!) If.

Defense. On defense, the main guy to watch out for is junior linebacker Danny Trevathan, who I'm certain at some point has been called Danny Leviathan. He is tied for 9th nationally in tackles and tied for 21st in tackles for loss. Junior defensive back Winston Guy -- who must be like a B-list Marlboro Man -- also ranks nationally in tackles and is the team's leader in interceptions.

Special teams. Whole lotta Cobb here. Kentucky also has a good punter in Ryan Tydlacka. They're middle-of-the-pack in field goals, a fact that you should file away for the end of the game.

Head to Head Comparisons

How'd we do with the head-to-head comparisons duringVandy week? Remember last week when I said I was going to correct for two straight weeks of over-pessimism regarding the offense? Mistake.

	Prediction	Result
UT rush	200	128
UT pass	300	232
Vandy rush	140	111
Vandy pass	180	222
UT score	38	24
Vandy score	17	10

So let's see how we can do this week:

			Best Comparable(s)	Result Against Best Comp	Prediction
UT rush v. Kentucky rush defense	119.73 (#95)	178.64 (#88)	Memphis (178.09) (#86)	130	140
UT pass v. Kentucky pass defense	240.27 (#44)	168.36 (#12)	UF/AL/LSU (168.64/168.73/151.82) (#13/#14/#4)	259/156/121	180
Kentucky rush v. UT rush defense	155.82 (#65)	167.18 (#43)	Florida (161.36) (#48)	150	150
Kentucky pass v. UT pass defense	225.36 (#76)	274.36 (#20)	UAB/Oregon (268.73/251.10) (#26/#35)	429/202	300
UT scoring offense v. Kentucky scoring defense	27.27 (#59)	28.91 (#81)	Vanderbilt (30.91) (#91)	24	28
Kentucky scoring offense v. UT scoring defense	25.64 (#63)	34.73 (#22)	Alabama/South Carolina (35.27/33.64) (#20/#25)	41/38	35

As always, these are informed guesses rather than mathematical calculations. The general analytical framework is this: We are averaging X in a certain category. The opponent averages Y against that, which is most closely comparable to some identified previous opponent, against whom we did Z. All of that leads to an informed guess labeled as Prediction. The less data you have, the more sketchy the guess, and the guesses range from ALL CAPS SKETCHY WITH EXCLAMATION POINTS at the beginning of the season to merely lower case sketchy for the last game.

This week's example: We're holding opponents to an average of 225 yards passing. Kentucky is getting an average of 274, which is most closely comparable to, of all teams, UAB, which is averaging about 269. But the Blazers torched the Vols for 429 (!) yards. Outlier, that, so looking at the next best comp, we see that Oregon is averaging about 251, and Tennessee held them to 2020. Split the difference, and we get 300 passing yards for Kentucky. Bums.

Yeah, I have Kentucky with an advantage of 450 yards to Tennessee's 320. I nudged UT's score up a bit in light of the Tyler Bray trend, and I was tempted to predict 31 points, but Memphis was Memphis, Ole Miss was aided by two defensive scores, and against Vandy we got only 24. I do think our defense is (hopefully) better than it was against Alabama and South Carolina, so we should be able to hold UK to its scoring average, but it's still high.

Here's the thing, though. Tennessee's played a top 25 schedule, and Kentucky's played just an okay one, so perhaps that shifts the numbers closer to each other. Also, turnovers, again if they're more skill than luck, favor the Vols. And there's the home field advantage on senior day. And the uh-oh factor for Kentucky that I'd imagine isn't easy to shake off once its rooted onto your skin for a quarter of a century. So this could be a toss-up game like Vegas says. Who knows?

Sketchy Conclusions

Tennessee and Kentucky are fairly even on resume. Both have beaten Vandy, the difference in the game, as shown by the drive charts anyway, being that Kentucky finished strong and Tennessee didn't. Both teams also lost to Florida and Georgia. Kentucky beat South Carolina, who beat Tennessee, but Tennessee beat Ole Miss, who beat Kentucky. Got all that? Overall, Tennessee's played a fairly stronger schedule, so the stats should be viewed accordingly.
Kentucky is mostly a top 25 team on offense. They feature the best passing offense Tennessee will have seen all season, and they rank right up there with Oregon and Alabama in several other offensive stats.
On defense, the Wildcats are best at pass defense (12th in the nation), but they're vulnerable against the run (88th in the nation).
Randall Cobb is a one man wrecking machine, but QB Mike Hartline is also very good. Cobb is a receiver who ranks second in the nation in all-purpose running. He leads the team and is ranked nationally in both receiving categories, leads the team and is ranked nationally in both kickoff and punt returns, and leads the team in rushing yards. He may be the guy who retrieves the tee on kickoffs, too, I don't know.
The numbers favor Kentucky, but several things may work to Tennessee's advantage to deny the numbers their day. The Vols have played a better schedule, they have home field advantage on Senior Day, and they've been better able to win the turnover battle. And curses and streaks have ways of self-perpetuating. But they also have this nasty knack of coming to an end.

Predictions

Kentucky 35, Tennessee 28. Apologies.

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Comments

Turnovers

Keep an eye on that turnover margin, too, because if turnovers are more skill than luck (a debateable presumption), then Tennessee (#34 in turnover margin) should have a chance regardless of what the other numbers say.

An interesting topic to be sure. The way I see it is any given turnover, when looked at independently can certainly be debated whether it was caused by the defense or just blind dumb luck. However, when you look at 11 games worth of statistics its safe to start attributing the numbers to performance. I think the interceptions this past weekend could definitley be attributed to the defense. Prentis Waggner’s pick was as athletic a play as you’ll see.

Bring it across, shape it down

by Getoffmyvols on Nov 23, 2010 8:27 AM EST reply actions

Prentiss Waggner

Is a ~~helmet~~ ball magnet. That’s gotta be skill, or instinct, or something.

Also, it really looks like Kentucky is a second half team. We need to grab a lead early on. And it’s interested that, although their pass defense is very good, their PED is pretty mediocre. Does that mean people only don’t pass on them because they’re so vulnerable to the run? Or just that their SEC opponents have been Florida, Vandy, South Carolina, Auburn, Ole Miss, and Mississippi State, all of whom are fairly ground heavy? Georgia, I’ll grant, passes a lot.

And finally, Joel, you better be wrong. I’ll be there, and I don’t want to witness the end of the streak. Also, a bowl would be nice. And now Derek Dooley hates me.

by Incipient_Senescence on Nov 23, 2010 8:31 AM EST up reply actions

I honestly have no read on Kentucky

I’ve watched 2 of their games: Florida where they got blown out, and South Carolina where they beat a team that blew out Florida. So I really don’t know what to expect come Saturday.

Bring it across, shape it down

by Getoffmyvols on Nov 23, 2010 8:37 AM EST up reply actions

I desperately hope that I am.

Rocky Top Talk

by Joel Hollingsworth on Nov 23, 2010 8:44 AM EST up reply actions

My best take on tunover skill v. luck.

Skillsets involved:
+ Intercepting (reading the play, catching the ball, jumping routes, tipping passes at the line, etc. etc. etc.)
+ Forcing fumbles
+ Fumble tendency (i.e. the propensity for a particular ball carrier to lose the ball)
+ Fumble recovery (i.e. assuming you are in position to recover the ball, do you actually get it? think loose ball drills here)

Luck:
+ Bounce of the fumble (does it head toward your player or theirs?)
+ Tipped pass (catchable by the defense?)

Indeterminate:
+ Opposition tendencies (do they call playcalls that are high turnover risks? If so, did you schedule them with that in mind? Are they a conference team that you don’t schedule, per se?)

There’s a lot of skill involved in turnovers, but there is also luck. That Gerald shoulda pick-six was pure skill, right up through the gameplanning that week that prepared GW for that specific play. Our muffed punt catches are also highly skill-based (though here it’s by a skill deficit), and the recoveries have gone both ways by luck. But if we improve our punt catching skills, our muffed punt turnovers will go down as the randomness has fewer opportunities for expression.

To me, it’s pretty clear that skill and luck are both involved. But there’s more skill than luck, and certainly enough skill to justify all the interception drills and tipped ball drills and loose ball drills that they do.

by David Hooper on Nov 23, 2010 9:29 AM EST up reply actions

Nice analysis!

Rocky Top Talk

by Joel Hollingsworth on Nov 23, 2010 9:58 AM EST up reply actions

Kentucky beat Tennessee?

Silly Joel.

...just apologize for not thanking me.

by kidbourbon on Nov 23, 2010 8:34 AM EST reply actions

And silly me for neglecting the jump thingy. Yikes, that took over the entire page before I changed it.

Rocky Top Talk

by Joel Hollingsworth on Nov 23, 2010 8:45 AM EST up reply actions

Were I a gambler, I wouldn't touch this one.

I haven’t double-checked, but Kentucky feels like a team that finishes games well. We’re getting closer, but I still don’t trust us in the second half.

Yet Tennessee has trended upward very strongly (even accounting for level of competition) and our various performance rankings are hampered in part by the early-season problems (e.g. second half deflation vs. Oregon, inability to find Athens vs. Georgia, etc.).

And as much as we love the guy, a new starting qb is still a new starting qb, and past experience suggests that he may be prone to highly variable performance – especially since Kentucky has had an extra week to prepare blitz and protection schemes for him.

That bye week is the most worrisome part to me. If Kentucky has a solid scripted start and doesn’t fall behind by halftime, I would trust their second half ability a little more than Tennessee’s right now.

The big bright spot? Pass rushing. Kentucky has 19 sacks on the year (to UT’s 21), and they have 67 TFLs (to UT’s 69). The deltas aren’t much, but if you remember that UT hasn’t had much luck getting pressure for most of the year, then it becomes clear that Kentucky hasn’t either.

So I expect Tennessee to come out guns-a-blazing and hope they can set enough protection to let Tyler do his thing. If they get an early lead, then they can lean on the rushing game more in the second half (where Poole is getting an easy majority of his yards as of late). Poole will be rushing for 1,000 yards in the second half, so he and the O-line should have plenty of reason to be motivated (as if playing Kentucky weren’t enough).

by David Hooper on Nov 23, 2010 8:55 AM EST reply actions

Aw, dang.

Those ‘paragraphs’ were actually independent thoughts. Hence the breaks. I didn’t expect it to look like single-sentence schoolyard journo pseudo-blogging prattle. Apologies.

by David Hooper on Nov 23, 2010 8:57 AM EST up reply actions

I just thought it was ghost written by Mike Strange ;)

by danmarcel on Nov 23, 2010 9:27 AM EST up reply actions

See, I just need to make them bullet points.

An engineer’s natural literary habitat.

by David Hooper on Nov 23, 2010 9:29 AM EST up reply actions

Bill Plaschke? Is that you?

by Chris Pendley on Nov 23, 2010 1:08 PM EST up reply actions

Interestingly

I’ve seen a lot of gamblers who say that UT -3 is one of the best bets on the board.

Also interestingly, the line is holding steady despite 82% of the bets coming in on Kentucky. Must mean the big money is on the Vols. Hope the big money is right.

by Incipient_Senescence on Nov 23, 2010 9:10 AM EST up reply actions

Also, regarding the bye

You should really check out Coach Dooley’s comments on the subject. I quoted them in the Dooleyisms thread.

by Incipient_Senescence on Nov 23, 2010 9:20 AM EST up reply actions

Good stuff. And I know we already agree on all this, but still:

Link for the lazy.

He’s right re: coach spin. But I really do believe in the rest and the ability to practice schematic things. With that bye week, Kentucky can put in plays they haven’t even seen in practice all year long. we’re in decent shape in that we’re not as badly injured as I had feared coming into this one, but I do worry about Kentucky putting in some counter plays that are based on other things they’ve done in the season.

The most recent analogy I have is NFL, so tifwiw, but the Broncos ran the Chiefs out on a rail thanks to bye week scheming, then had the favor returned by San Diego for the very same reason. It’s different at the NFL level, but the difference is more a matter of degree.

by David Hooper on Nov 23, 2010 9:51 AM EST up reply actions

Bill Simmons had a good article on this subject recently

From the NFL, but the observations are still pertinent, I would think.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmonsnfl2010/byeweek&sportCat=nfl

...just apologize for not thanking me.

by kidbourbon on Nov 23, 2010 4:14 PM EST up reply actions

Without the win over South Carolina

Kentucky’s resume is horrible. I’m not sold on them one bit.

by danmarcel on Nov 23, 2010 9:26 AM EST reply actions

I agree

And their win over South Carolina was a game in which they were dominated in the first half. I think South Carolina just stopped playing in the second half (keep in mind, this was the week after the Alabama win). Also, something I must note given the offensive numbers: their non-con opponents were Charleston Southern, Louisville, Akron, and Western Kentucky, and their SEC West rotation included Ole Miss and Auburn (and Miss. St). They’ve managed to play as many crappy defenses as humanly possible.

by Incipient_Senescence on Nov 23, 2010 12:01 PM EST up reply actions

Watching that game

South Carolina TOTALLY blew it. Kentucky made some plays, sure, but .. wow. Spurrier freaked in that game, apparently.

______________________________________________
That's (333333jorkland)^2 and $$$$$immons to you, chump.

by bobothevol on Nov 23, 2010 3:23 PM EST up reply actions

Spurrier was just doing his part to get another SEC team into a bowl game.

Without that win, this weekend knocks one team out. Now we can get both teams in if Tennessee wins. Spurrier’s classy in that conference-first sort of way. ;-)

by David Hooper on Nov 23, 2010 3:40 PM EST up reply actions

We've snatched defeat from teh jaws of victory too many times for me to predict a UK win

BTW, is this real? http://yfrog.com/0f3fidj

Then it comes to be that the soothing light at the end of your tunnel, is just a freight train coming your way...
@btcoop71

by btcoop71 on Nov 23, 2010 10:28 AM EST reply actions

lol

I thought you were going to link the back tatt like all the other rivals.

by Incipient_Senescence on Nov 23, 2010 11:57 AM EST up reply actions

I have to believe this is fake

Because no one is really that stupid.

Then it comes to be that the soothing light at the end of your tunnel, is just a freight train coming your way...
@btcoop71

by btcoop71 on Nov 23, 2010 1:00 PM EST up reply actions

I think we need to look at the film a lot on the UK vs USC game

USC had the lead at half 28-10 and never scored again. They lost on a two point conversion when UK took the lead with 31-28 . USC had a late drive and threw a int. in the endzone. So if we do have a lead at half we need to come out at he half on fire and not let up. This is a team that will keep coming at you. And Joel I’m going TN 42 UK 28 : ) go VOLS !!

If you can't be kind at least be vague. Go Vols !

by bulldurham on Nov 23, 2010 10:34 AM EST reply actions

I'll admit, the talent gap that used to exist is gone

And I’m very scared of UK this weekend. This Saturday really feels like the time that the streak could end.

But are we overreacting to a solid offense and the comeback against a Lattimore-less SCarolina? Without that win, they, like us, don’t have much to write home about. Their best win after SC is against 5-6 Louisville. I feel like this game is a toss up.

by VolnVA on Nov 23, 2010 10:39 AM EST reply actions

Disagree...

re: talent gap

Outside of Randall Cobb being a diamond in the rough, we’ve consistently blown Kentucky out of the water in terms of recruiting top flight athletes. They have one guy that has to perform the jobs of three people. They may have caught up in depth, but if we stop Randall Cobb we win(barring an absolutely abysmal game from Tyler Bray). There is nobody on our team you can say the same about.

by Caban on Nov 23, 2010 3:44 PM EST up reply actions

JOEL!!!!

I swear, your numbers have yet to lie about the winner — so if we lose…….

______________________________________________
That's (333333jorkland)^2 and $$$$$immons to you, chump.

by bobothevol on Nov 23, 2010 11:07 AM EST reply actions

No, really, Bobo's right

The offensive/defensive predictions have had varying accuracy, but Joel has correctly identified the winner each time. JOEL HAS POWERS!!! CHANGE YOUR PREDICTION NOW AND SAVE OUR SEASON!!!

by VolnVA on Nov 23, 2010 11:19 AM EST up reply actions

I don't like this game

Four wins in a row with Freshman all over the place, especially at QB and O-line just seems like asking too much to overcome, particularly against a quality opponent with a couple of legit game changing stars. But they are still Kentucky so until they beat us they are still trying to overcome a 25 game losing streak.

Somehow our coaches have to get these Freshmen to shake off the mental and physical exhaustion and get focused and give everything they’ve got on the field. They got plenty of time for rest and recovery after Saturday.

by phil g on Nov 23, 2010 11:35 AM EST reply actions

But this is mostly because

It’s really hard for a young team to string four good performances in a row. We don’t have to do that. We had our crap performance last week.

by Incipient_Senescence on Nov 23, 2010 11:59 AM EST up reply actions

I havent seen you guys this nervous about playing us ever.

You guys sound like the NCAA just pulled up. Sorry….couldnt resist.

It will be a good game. And hooper is right, UK is a second half team. If we are even at the half, I like our chances.

I am now and forever shall be The Cat In The Hat....The Artist formerly known as ABC!

by Greg Alan Edwards on Nov 23, 2010 12:30 PM EST reply actions

The NCAA had to stop and ask us directions.

We told then “Northbound in I-75. You can’t miss it.”

;-)

by David Hooper on Nov 23, 2010 12:35 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs

Zing!

by VolnVA on Nov 23, 2010 12:49 PM EST up reply actions

Even I can appreciate this one

Well played sir.

Then it comes to be that the soothing light at the end of your tunnel, is just a freight train coming your way...
@btcoop71

by btcoop71 on Nov 23, 2010 1:00 PM EST up reply actions

Thanks.

In all seriousness to the other part of your comment, though. Don’t take this as any disrespect, because I think that UT fans are in near-unanimous agreement that Kentucky football has come a long way, but our nervousness is a function of our own team, and not really one of yours. We know what Kentucky brings to the table, but we have also seen our own team play wildly inconsistent within a game.

We believe that a (full) well-played game by the Vols will be enough, especially with homefield. (Hey, we’re optimists!) We just can’t guarantee that we’ll see such a beat. Personally, I think this game will depend more on Tennessee than on Kentucky, if that makes any sense.

by David Hooper on Nov 23, 2010 1:06 PM EST up reply actions