Both the Tennessee Volunteers and the Kentucky Wildcats are in need of bounce back wins after tough defeats the weak before. The Volunteers are coming off a loss to Alabama in which they lost on a last-minute interception while the Wildcats got beat up by Mississippi State on the road. Now they meet up on Halloween looking to salvage the season.
Kentucky's defense looked terrible last week. The team fell to the Bulldogs 42-16 as their defense failed to contain the versatility of Dak Prescott. They will get the same kind of quarterback in Josh Dobbs which could spell trouble for Kentucky. Mississippi's offense had their way with Kentucky and Tennessee is capable of the same thing. Dobbs is a player on the rise as he and the Volunteers average 209 rushing yards per game. They had 132 yards against Alabama last week. If Kentucky is struggling with tackling, they will have a hard time with Tennessee.
The Wildcats will lean on Patrick Towles, their own versatile quarterback who can run and throw as well. He threw for 218 yards against Mississippi State. Towles will have to play like he was at the beginning of the season before Kentucky dropped off. Their running back Boom Williams is the other key player for the Wildcats this week. He rushed for 95 yards against Mississippi State while already having 551 yards on the year. The two players can help Kentucky keep pace with Tennessee's offense.
Dobbs pairs with Jalen Hurd who had a big game against Alabama last week. The running back kept the offense moving when the passing game was not working for Dobbs. Both players are capable of giving Kentucky's defense a headache if they make mistakes. The biggest issue for Tennessee is their inability to finish games. The team has fallen apart in the final minutes of games more times than not this year. They had the missed field goal against Florida and the interception against Alabama that sealed their losses. The Crimson Tide were able to get a late score on the Volunteers and then take back possession as the team fell apart. If they can play four quarters against Kentucky, they stand a chance at winning.