The Tennessee Volunteers were off this past weekend and now they enter the back half of their regular season schedule. They have a big game against the Georgia Bulldogs approaching rapidly but this week they have to take care of business against the Kentucky Wildcats first.
It’s been an up-and-down season for Kentucky this year. They had Georgia on the ropes early in the year, upset Ole Miss on the road and are now coming off of a home loss against Auburn. They’ve had some strong defensive performances throughout the year but the offense has not yet got things rolling this year with transfer quarterback Brock Vandagriff leading the unit.
Kentucky is very much a run-first type of offense this year. Vandagriff has been inconsistent throughout the season, but still brings some solid traits to the table. The former Georgia quarterback is very athletic with a strong arm that allows him to be a mobile threat. As a result, the Wildcats will hop into a good bit of 12-personel (two tight ends and one running back) to add some extra bodies into the run game.
The Wildcats have also shown they are prone to playing both Vandagriff and Gavin Wimsatt. When Wimsatt is on the field, Tennessee’s defense needs to key run. Wimsatt is just 8/20 passing this season, so when he checks onto the field, they are more than likely going to try run the football.
If Tennessee can jump out early, that is the best-case scenario for the Volunteers. This is not a Kentucky offense built to play from behind on the scoreboard. They want to chew the clock and keep the football away from the opposing offense.
