Tennessee visits Kentucky on 11/6/2021 at 7:00:00.
Tennessee and Kentucky face off in a regular season matchup. Games are on campuses and crowds are full once again! Tennessee sports a record of 4-4 this season. Kentucky is 6-2 this season. Enough preamble… Let’s get to the preview…
Tennessee Team Defense Preview
Tennessee has had 102 defensive drives in non-garbage time minutes and they yield 5.99 plays per drive. The struggle is real. Tennessee struggles to find a way to get opposing offenses off the field. Three and outs are not common and this means that when a three-and-out is necessary late in a game to get the ball back, it is just not happening. Tennessee has had a generally average defense. Nothing too special about it, but they are capable of rising up when needed. Tennessee opponents passes the football 50.57% of the time.Opponents typically have had some form of run/pass balance against them.
Tennessee opponents have had struggled with running the ball and the defense crushed the spirits of their opponents with zero or negative yard plays. 4th and Short is not a cake walk, maybe passing on 4th and Short or having some sort of RPO is the way to go because if an Offensive Coordinator thinks that they can just line up and run a Quarterback Sneak or hand it off to a tailback against this season ‘s defense, they are mistaken. How effective are opposing offensive lines given what we know about their ability to force negative yardage rushing plays? Tennessee can take credit for holding the offensive line of their opponent to 3.01 yards per carry. Generally speaking, this is an average defense when it comes to how offensive lines control or fail to control them on the ground. This is also a team that is allowing running backs and quarterbacks to get to the second-level in an average fashion. The breakout rushing plays are simply not happening, it is a massive reach to expect them to give up big rushing plays.
Disruptive plays are a part of the fabric of this team’s defensive effort. Game changing plays that drive Offensive Coordinators and Quarterbacks crazy, they find ways to deliver. Getting more specific, this front seven is a cause of a lot of headaches for offenses. They may be good enough to cause trouble in pass rush with just four rushers!Tennessee is better at stopping the run than the pass this season .
Tennessee Team Offense Preview
Tennessee has had 104 total drives this season and they generate 5.57 plays per drive. There is not much to take away here when it comes to how many plays per drive they run , but they are a team that falls in the average window when it comes to plays per drive. Tennessee has had shown a capability to be explosive on first and second down to avoid third downs and has had converted well (relatively) on 3rd and 4th Down situations. Tennessee passes the football 41.80% of the time.They favors running the ball as opposed airing it out.
Move the pile forward, falling forward, making progress, ensuring north-south running, smart Quarterback reads, well-adjusted alignments to ensure leverage, and an offensive line that is getting a great push forward are cornerstones of this season offense. How effective is the offensive line given what we know about their ability to prevent negative yards on rushing plays? More than you think, thanks to the Adjusted Line Yards metric. Tennessee can take credit for 3.43 yards per carry. This is an elite offensive line when it comes to generating a push for the running game. They know how to create creases for running backs to break loose. Playing 7 in a box is not enough for opposing defenses, this is a great O-Line. This is a team that is rather above-average when it comes to gashing defenses. The threat of the run forces opponents to play more honest and assignment defensive football is a must, especially against zone read looks. They are capable of busting out a long run, which is really good when the team has the ball in their own territory.
Tennessee bullied and controlled defenses this season , defenses are not to dictate what this offense is able to do to them. Opponents should consider a containment strategy. They have had done a relatively good job done by this Offensive Line to prevent opposing front sevens from causing problems consistently. Tennessee is a better running team than passing team this season .
Kentucky Team Defense Preview
Kentucky has had 89 total defensive drives this season and they yield 5.55 plays per drive. There is not much to take away here when it comes to how many plays per drive opponents run , but they are a team that falls in the average window when it comes to plays per drive. Kentucky has had shown an inability to stop defenses from converting on 4th Downs and they let opponents get into manageable 3rd Down situations where an RPO may be especially deadly. Kentucky opponents passes the football 51.01% of the time.Kentucky tends to face teams that prefer to air it out or opponents wanted to air it out against them.
Kentucky opponents have had struggled with running the ball and the defense crushed the spirits of their opponents with zero or negative yard plays. 4th and Short is not a cake walk, maybe passing on 4th and Short or having some sort of RPO is the way to go because if an Offensive Coordinator thinks that they can just line up and run a Quarterback Sneak or hand it off to a tailback against this season ‘s defense, they are mistaken. Opponent rushing yards attributed to their offensive line this season comes out to 2.8 yards per carry. Opponent offensive lines have had been simply unable to support their running games against their defense. This is also a team that is allowing running backs and quarterbacks to get to the second-level in an average fashion. The breakout rushing plays are simply not happening, it is a massive reach to expect them to give up big rushing plays.
This Defense has had average success disrupting the flow of the opposing offense. Getting more granual into the front seven and their ability to cause trouble, they are just average in this regard. Kentucky is better at stopping the run than the pass this season .
Kentucky Team Offense Preview
Kentucky has had 87 drives in non-garbage time minutes and they average 5.57 plays per drive. There is not much to take away here when it comes to how many plays per drive they run , but they are a team that falls in the average window when it comes to plays per drive. Kentucky has had shown a capability to be explosive on first and second down to avoid third downs and has had converted well (relatively) on 3rd and 4th Down situations. Kentucky passes the football 45.57% of the time.Relatively speaking, this is a team that favors run/pass balance.
Move the pile forward, falling forward, making progress, ensuring north-south running, smart Quarterback reads, well-adjusted alignments to ensure leverage, and an offensive line that is getting a great push forward are cornerstones of this season offense. Based on the Adjusted Line Yards metric, which measures the amount of credit that should be ascribed to the offensive line for a rushing play, they average 3.54 yards per carry. This is an elite offensive line when it comes to generating a push for the running game. They know how to create creases for running backs to break loose. Playing 7 in a box is not enough for opposing defenses, this is a great O-Line. This is a team that is rather above-average when it comes to gashing defenses. The threat of the run forces opponents to play more honest and assignment defensive football is a must, especially against zone read looks. With a relatively average explosiveness in the running game, breakout rushing plays are possible, but it is not something to count on from them.
Defenses have had average success disrupting the flow of the Kentucky Offense. Front sevens are causing an average amount of trouble for the Offense. Kentucky is a better running team than passing team this season .
The Tennessee Roster
The Players to Watch for Tennessee
Hendon Hooker QB 6’4″ 218 Senior
Hendon Hooker put up 1579 yards, tossed 17 touchdowns, and he threw 2 interceptions this season. He was considered one of the gunslingers of College Football this season. His average completed pass was 9.5 yards. He was considered one of the most mobile Quarterbacks in the country this season, designed runs and zone read looks are common. His average rush was 4.1 yards.
Tiyon Evans RB 5’11” 220 Junior
Tiyon Evans had 512 rushing yards on 80 carries. Was he able to get to the end zone on the ground? He had 6 rushing touchdowns. He is considered one of the workhorse running backs of College Football returning this season. His average rush was 6.4 yards. He was average among running backs when it comes to his role as a receiver in the offense. When he catches a pass, he generates on average 6.4 yards.
Velus Jones Jr. WR 6’0″ 200 Senior
Velus Jones Jr. picked up 453 yards through the air. He caught the ball 31 times this season. He reached the end zone 4 times. He is a go-to in the passing game. When he catches a pass, he generates on average 14.6 yards.
Matthew Butler DL 6’4″ 291 Senior
The leading tackler among Defensive Tackles for Tennessee, Matthew Butler, had 26 tackles this season.Among Defensive Tackles/Nose Tackles, he was clogging the gaps and playing disruptive proving he is one of the best at forcing lost yardage, he had 6 tackles for loss this season.He was among the best at disrupting things up the middle and getting to QBs, he had 3 sacks this season.
Trevon Flowers DB 5’11” 195 Junior
The leading tackler among Defensive Backs for Tennessee, Trevon Flowers, had 51 tackles this season.He was not a factor as far as tackles for loss was concerned this season.He had 0.0 sacks this season.
The Kentucky Roster
The Players to Watch for Kentucky
Will Levis QB 6’3″ 222 Junior
Will Levis put up 1476 yards, tossed 13 touchdowns, and he threw 9 interceptions. He threw a variety of different length passes. His average completed pass was 7.2 yards. He was considered one of the most mobile Quarterbacks in the country this season, designed runs and zone read looks are common. His average rush was 3.5 yards.
Christopher Rodriguez Jr. RB 5’11” 224 Junior
Christopher Rodriguez Jr. had 804 rushing yards on 135 carries. Was he able to get to the end zone on the ground? He had 6 rushing touchdowns. He is considered one of the workhorse running backs of College Football returning this season. His average rush was 6.0 yards. He is a consistent option in the passing game considering that he is a running back. When he catches a pass, he generates on average 6.0 yards.
Wan’Dale Robinson WR 5’11” 185 Junior
Wan’Dale Robinson picked up 644 yards through the air. He caught the ball 57 times this season. He reached the end zone 4 times. He is a go-to in the passing game. When he catches a pass, he generates on average 11.3 yards.
Octavious Oxendine DT 6’1″ 318 Sophomore
The leading tackler among Defensive Tackles for Kentucky, Octavious Oxendine, had 15 tackles this season.Among Defensive Tackles/Nose Tackles, he was clogging the gaps and playing disruptive proving he is one of the best at forcing lost yardage, he had 4 tackles for loss this season.He was among the best at disrupting things up the middle and getting to QBs, he had 2 sacks this season.
Joshua Paschal DE 6’3″ 278 Senior
The leading tackler among Defensive Tackles for Kentucky, Joshua Paschal, had 36 tackles this season.Among Defensive Tackles/Nose Tackles, he was clogging the gaps and playing disruptive proving he is one of the best at forcing lost yardage, he had 10 tackles for loss this season.He was a strong pass rusher in the interior this season registering 1 tackles for loss.
Yusuf Corker DB 6’0″ 197 Senior
The leading tackler among Defensive Backs for Kentucky, Yusuf Corker, had 51 tackles this season.Among Defensive Backs, he was very active and disruptive in the backfield, he had 4 tackles for loss this season.He had 0.0 sacks this season.
Tennessee vs. Kentucky Prediction, Picks, and Odds
Prediction: Tennessee 19 Kentucky 23
Spread Pick: Kentucky 0.0 -110 WagerWeb Perpetual Bonuses? They’re crazy enough to do that?!? Jump on that deal.
Moneyline Pick: Kentucky -115 Bovada
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