3 areas of emphasis for Kentucky football heading into bye week, showdown with Tennessee

LEXINGTON, Ky. — DeAndre Square didn't want to leave Kroger Field on Saturday night, so the fifth-year senior linebacker took a seat on the turf and watched head coach Mark Stoops discuss the the team's victory over Mississippi State on one of the stadium's massive video boards.

"I'm not gonna be able to play in the blue forever," said Square, who made his 43rd career start for the Wildcats against the Bulldogs. "Every game's not a home game, so I take time after the game to just try to remember the good plays, the bad plays and just everything — the crowd atmosphere. Every dog has his day, so I just take it all in."

With only five regular-season games remaining in the 2022-23 season, No. 19 UK heads into its bye week 5-2 overall and 2-2 in Southeastern Conference play. Square and the Wildcats will look to build on the momentum it gained from Saturday's bounce-back win before traveling to Knoxville, Tennessee, on Oct. 29 for what's shaping up to be another marquee matchup against the No. 3 Volunteers, who improved to 6-0 by upsetting Alabama on a walk-off field goal.

At SEC Media Days, Square said he returned to Kentucky for a fifth season because "I really want this SEC championship." After dropping back-to-back games against Ole Miss and South Carolina, the Wildcats have a steep hill to climb if they want to take the field Dec. 3 at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium, but Square said the team is headed in the right direction after its performance against Mississippi State.

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"It's not about winning or losing," said Square, a third-year captain. "What we want is to go out there and for everybody to know that we played our hearts out. If we do that, if we keep winning, it leads to something."

Here are three areas of emphasis for the Wildcats heading into the off week and a pivotal

Getting healthy

Stoops was pleased with his team's effort against Mississippi State after coming out flat in the loss to unranked South Carolina at Kroger Field the week prior. Now it's time for his "beat-up" players to get some much-needed downtime.

"The bye comes at a good time for us right now," Stoops said. "The players need some time to heal up. It's difficult to win that many straight games, and we need to get some rest."

Like most teams across the country at this point in the season, Kentucky is dealing with several injuries at key positions. Transfer wideout Tayvion Robinson did not play against the Bulldogs due to an injury he sustained in the Week 5 loss to South Carolina. Starting right tackle Jeremy Flax, meanwhile, was sidelined from the second half of Saturday's victory after injuring his left leg in the early going of his return from the inactive list.

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And then there's quarterback Will Levis, who ran off the field favoring his left arm during the third quarter against Mississippi State only to make a dramatic return to action minutes later after an X-ray of his non-throwing shoulder came back negative. Levis credited a "magic shot" he received while in the locker room with helping him battle through the discomfort to complete 74% of his passing attempts for 230 yards and a touchdown.

"It's my left shoulder, so who cares?" Levis told Cole Cubelic of the SEC Network after the game before flashing a toothy grin for the camera.

Considering how much Kentucky struggled without Levis on the field due to a reported case of turf toe during its loss to South Carolina, it's safe to say a lot of people care about Levis' well-being with showdowns against Tennessee and top-ranked Georgia looming. The projected first-round NFL draft pick, who wore a sling on his left arm while signing autographs for fans after Saturday's victory, should be one of the biggest beneficiaries of the bye week having taken one hit after another — and severely dislocating the middle finger of his non-throwing hand — during the first half of the season.

Getting to the quarterback

Defensive coordinator Brad White said his unit's performance against Mississippi State's high-powered offense was "the most complete game we've played to date." The Wildcats held the nation's leading passer entering the game, Will Rogers, to a season-low 203 yards and a single touchdown despite tallying just one sack.

Square, who effectively sealed the victory by picking off Rogers with 4:01 remaining in the fourth quarter, said the defense knew heading into the matchup it was going to have to rely primarily on a three-man pass rush while the rest of the unit focused on limiting the Bulldogs' yards after catches. The defense will need to use the bye week to continue scheming up creative ways to keep opposing quarterbacks uncomfortable in the pocket before facing Heisman candidate Hendon Hooker and Tennessee's potent offense at Neyland Stadium in Week 8.

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Kentucky is tied for 109th in the country with just 10 sacks through seven games. Of those QB takedowns, the defensive line has accounted for just 1.5 after losing its sacks leader from last season, Joshua Paschal, to the NFL.

Hooker's ability to run the ball (349 yards and three touchdowns on 59 carries) adds another wrinkle to the Wildcats' challenge of applying backfield pressure. White's unit will have to rely on its anchors, Square and other members of a veteran linebacker corps, to contain the Volunteers' dual-threat quarterback when pockets collapse.

Building on the offensive line's best performance on the season

For as scary as it was to see Levis running off the field after taking another hard fall to the turf, the quarterback said his offensive line was awarded the game ball for its "excellent" performance against Mississippi State.

A major area of concern entering Saturday's top-25 matchup, the work-in-progress "Big Blue Wall" surrendered just one sack and paved the way for running back Chris Rodriguez's 196 yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries.

"We just were able to impose our will," offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello said after the win.

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Scangarello will need a similar performance from the big guys up front if Kentucky stands any chance of beating Tennessee on its home turf. The Wildcats won the time-of-possession battle against Mississippi State (39:22 to 20:38) and will look to notch another victory on that front to limit scoring opportunities for a fast-paced Volunteers offense that is averaging 47.6 points in 26:17 minutes per game.

"We can make corrections on the sideline; you can sit on the bench; I can diagram routes; I can talk to guys; they can get water," White said of the advantages to having UK's offense controlling the pace of play. "They get juiced, you know, watching, because at some point you're done making corrections, so you just leave them, and now they're able to sit and get energized by the offense. Hopefully, we've done enough on defense to help the offense get energized. That's what complementary football is."

Reach recruiting and trending sports reporter Brooks Holton at bholton@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @brooksHolton.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky football vs. Tennessee: 3 areas of emphasis on UK's bye week