KNOXVILLE – No. 17 Tennessee (2-1, 2-1 SEC) will face Kentucky (1-2, 1-2 SEC) Saturday at Neyland Stadium (noon EDT, SEC Network).
Kentucky’s offense enters the matchup averaging 212.3 rushing yards per contest. The Wildcats are also averaging 154.3 passing yards each game this season.
Kentucky’s rushing stats this season
- Quarterback, Terry Wilson — 221 yards, three touchdowns
- Running back, Christopher Rodriguez Jr. — 184 rushing yards, three touchdowns
- Running back, Asim Rose — 170 yards, one touchdown
- Running back, Kavosiey Smoke — 91 yards, one touchdown
Mike Weaver/Special to Courier Journal-Imagn Content Services, LLC
Ahead of the contest, Tennessee senior defensive lineman Matthew Butler discussed facing Kentucky’s offense.
“They have a good running back who has racked up a lot of yards in his career, they also have a quarterback, just like last year, who can run the ball – who’s fast, athletic, can run the ball, pass the ball a little bit as well,” Butler said. “I would say in some ways we take the same approach as we did last year, as a defensive line being able to plug those interior gaps, get off blocks, to set edges and have contain, and just be ready to run, for sure, because if you can bounce it outside, the sideline is our friend, make those tackles just like we did a good bit last year — and like we want to do every game because it’s the SEC. It’s a run first league.”
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