First Scouting Report: Can UK football finally slow down Tennessee’s up-tempo attack?

An early look ahead to the Kentucky Wildcats’ next football game:

The opponent

After an open date next Saturday (Oct. 21), No. 24 Kentucky (5-2, 2-2 SEC) will play host to No. 19 Tennessee (5-1, 2-1 SEC), on Saturday, Oct. 28, at Kroger Field (seating capacity 61,000):

Game time and television broadcasting information will be announced by the SEC office on Monday.

Coach Josh Heupel’s Volunteers defeated Texas A&M 20-13 Saturday in Knoxville.

Before traveling to Lexington, Tennessee has a game at No. 11 Alabama next Saturday (Oct. 21). The contest will kick off at 3:30 p.m. (EDT) and be telecast by CBS.

Series history

Tennessee leads the all-time series with Kentucky 83-26-9.

This year’s will be the 119th meeting between the Wildcats and the Volunteers, the third-most played rivalry among Southeastern Conference schools.

Only Auburn-Georgia (128 games) and Mississippi-Mississippi State (who will meet for the 120th time on Nov. 23) have played more often than have the Cats and Vols.

UK coach Mark Stoops is 2-8 vs. Tennessee.

Volunteers head man Josh Heupel is 2-0 vs. Kentucky.

Most recent meeting

Hendon Hooker completed 19 of 25 passes for 245 yards and three touchdowns and Jalin Hyatt caught five passes for 138 yards and two scores as No. 3 Tennessee strafed No. 19 Kentucky 44-6 on Oct. 29, 2022, at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville.

UK quarterback Will Levis threw three interceptions and was sacked four times as the UT defense held the Wildcats to 205 total yards of offense.

Know your foe

1. The unenviable task of replacing star quarterback Hendon Hooker as Tennessee’s starter fell to former Michigan QB Joe Milton.

Going into Saturday’s game vs. Texas A&M, the 6-foot-5, 235 Milton was completing 63.1% of his throws, averaging 232.8 yards a game through the air and had thrown for nine touchdowns vs. three interceptions.

Those numbers are not bad, but pale in comparison to what Hooker was producing last season before his year was cut short at 11 games due to a torn ACL. Hooker, a transfer from Virginia Tech, completed 69.6% of his throws in 2022, averaged 285 yards a game passing and threw for 27 TDs versus only two picks.

After being taken in the third round of the 2023 NFL draft by the Detroit Lions, Hooker has so far spent his pro career on the reserve/non-football injury list while he rehabs to return from his ACL tear.

2. For all the attention Josh Heupel’s up-tempo offense gets for its passing, the Volunteers entered Saturday’s game against Texas A&M ranked No. 7 in the FBS in rushing, averaging 230 yards a game.

UT deploys a deep stable of running backs. Going into this week’s play, Jaylen Wright had run for 435 yards and was averaging 7.1 yards a carry; Jabari Small had run for 319 yards and was averaging 6 yards an attempt; and Dylan Sampson had run for 248 yards (and six touchdowns) and was averaging 6.9 yards a carry.

True freshman Khalifa Keith, a Birmingham, Alabama, product, entered Saturday having carried four times for 9 yards for UT. Keith originally committed to play for Kentucky before reneging and choosing Tennessee.

3. There are two former Kentucky high school standouts on the Tennessee roster.

Sophomore linebacker Kalib Perry, a 6-3, 226-pound product of Great Crossing High School in Scott County, had made six tackles in five games for UT entering this week’s action.

True freshman cornerback Cristian Conyer, a 6-1, 181-pound product of South Warren High School, had not seen game action to date in Tennessee’s first five contests of this season.