Tag: kentucky football

The best photos from Kentucky’s valiant effort versus Tennessee

Here are some of the best images from Kentucky’s solid effort against Tennessee.

Kentucky football needed a big win on Saturday against the Tennessee Volunteers. With a 3 – 5 record heading into the game, the Wildcats need wins. Unfortunately, despite a solid effort, the Vols came away with a 28 – 18 victory.

With injuries on both sides of the ball, Kentucky needed their best football, and they nearly got it. They jumped out to a 7 – 0 lead and led 10 – 7 at halftime. In the second half, though, things got away from them.

Related: Nine SEC teams ranked in US LBM Coaches Poll

Brock Vandagriff played pretty well, but was knocked out of the game, leaving Gavin Wimsatt to play quarterback. He did throw a touchdown pass in the fourth quarter, but also threw a big interception that was nearly returned for a score.

Overall, it was a fourth straight loss, which is all that really counts, but they hung with Tennesee for four quarters, which was impressive considering everything working against them.

In an exciting game, there were a number of excellent pictures, and here are the best ones from Kentucky’s loss to Tennessee.

No Kentucky, but nine SEC teams rank in the US LBM Coaches Poll

Kentucky football isn’t close to a top 25 team, but nine SEC football teams made the US LBM Coaches Poll.

Kentucky football lost its fourth consecutive game on Saturday night, falling 28 – 18 to the Tennessee Volunteers. That drops them to 3 – 6 on the season, and, of course, no where near the top 25 in the US LBM Coaches Poll.

However, the SEC as a whole is very well represented. After having eight teams ranked last week, the conference is up to nine teams after the week ten games. They also had one other team receiving votes.

Related: The cost of moving on from coach Mark Stoops

The Georgia Bulldogs looked a little shaky this week, but got the win and remain the highest ranked SEC team at number two. The Texas Longhorns are also in the top five, and Tennessee is in the top ten after beating Kentucky.

Ole Miss was the biggest riser of the SEC teams, jumping up six spots to number 12. The Texas A&M Aggies dropped five spots after their loss.

Here is the full US LBM Coaches Poll Top 25 rankings:

 

Rank Team Record Points
1 Oregon Ducks 9-0 1,349 (53)
2 Georgia Bulldogs 7-1 1,267 (1)
3 Ohio State Buckeyes 7-1 1,245
4 Miami Hurricanes 9-0 1,194
5 Texas Longhorns 7-1 1,138
6 Tennessee Volunteers 7-1 1,039
7 Penn State Nittany Lions 7-1 982
8 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 7-1 961
9 BYU Cougars 8-0 918
10 Indiana Hoosiers 9-0 916
11 Alabama Crimson Tide 6-2 772
12 Ole Miss Rebels 7-2 657
13 LSU Tigers 6-2 653
14 Boise State Broncos 7-1 615
15 SMU Mustangs 8-1 603
16 Texas A&M Aggies 7-2 518
17 Clemson Tigers 6-2 513
18 Iowa State Cyclones 7-1 511
19 Army Black Knights 8-0 404
20 Washington State Cougars 7-1 284
21 Kansas State Wildcats 7-2 201
22 Missouri Tigers 6-2 192
23 Pittsburgh Panthers 7-1 178
24 Colorado Buffaloes 6-2 124
25 Vanderbilt Commodores 6-3 85

Kentucky keeps it close, but comes up short against Tennesee

Kentucky football makes it a good game, but falls to Tennessee 28 – 18 on Saturday night

Most people predicted Kentucky football would be handled pretty easily by the Tennessee Volunteers. The Wildcats had lost three straight, while Tennessee is having a huge year. Injuries also meant Kentucky would short-handed.

However, the Cats gave a very good effort, especially on the defensive side of the ball. A defense missing a number of starters kept Kentucky in the game, and the offense kept things interesting for a while. Ultimately, however, Tennessee was too much, and they’d win it 28 – 18.

Related: Who is at fault for Kentucky’s offensive struggles

Kentucky’s offense managed to put up 360 yards, but still couldn’t break the 20 point mark. They haven’t scored over 20 versus an SEC team this season. Three turnovers helped to limit their points.

The Wildcats now fall to 3 – 6 on the season, and their bowl homes are on life support. The injuries also continue to mount, with quarterback Brock Vandagriff leaving the game early.

Jamarion Wilcox ran for 102 yards, and was the offensive star for Kentucky. Jamon Dumas-Johnson totaled 14 tackles, including a sack. Up next is a bye week for Kentucky before they play Murray State on November 16th.

Kentucky will be without several starters again versus Tennessee

Kentucky football will be missing several key players when they take on Tennessee.

The 2024 Kentucky football season has had to deal with a number of issues that have led to three straight losses. The offense, in particular, has struggled, and they’ve failed to score enough points. Injuries have certainly been a part of that.

As the Wildcats prepare to face the Tennessee Volunteers on Saturday, they will, once again, be dealing with some key injuries. Each SEC team is required to report injured players, and designate them as either Out, Doubtful, Questionable, or Probably.

Related: SEC football power rankings for week nine

This week’s availability report has multiple Kentucky players, and key contributors listed as out.

On offense, running back Chip Trayanum continues to deal with a hand issue that has caused him to miss nearly every game. Tackle Gerald Mincey and tight end Jordan Dingle are also both listed as out.

The defensive side of the ball is particularly hard hit. Cornerback Maxwell Hairston will be out again, dealing with a shoulder injury. J.J. Weaver and D’Eryk Jackson are also out, and are huge losses for the Wildcats.

Beating Tennessee was going to be very difficult under optimal conditions. With so many starters missing. It will be even tougher.

Staff predictions for Kentucky vs Tennessee on Saturday

Here is the UKWildcatsWire staff prediction for Kentucky versus Tennessee on Saturday.

The last time Kentucky football met a top ten team, they pulled off a huge upset, taking down Ole Miss. They would love to repeat that feat this Saturday when the take on the Tennessee Volunteers.

The Wildcats have lost three straight games, while Tennessee has mostly played like a national championship contender this season. Kentucky has no momentum right now, and history is on the Vols’ side as well.

Related: Week nine SEC football power rankings

For Kentucky to win, they’ll need to overcome a lot. There have been a lot of issues on offense all season, but the defense hasn’t played well either in the past few games.

Do the Wildcats have a chance in this game? Here is the staff prediction for Saturday’s Kentucky versus Tennessee matchup.

Vance Meek – Lead Writer

Kentucky needs a miracle to win this game. They haven’t scored more than 20 points versus an SEC opponent this year, and the Volunteers are almost certain to score more than that.

The Wildcats offense has to figure out how to get points on the board. Offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan has to maximize the offense, and quarterback Brock Vandagriff will need to play his best. It’s hard to envision them pulling it together based on what they’ve done this year.

Tennessee 41 – Kentucky 17

History favors Tennessee in head-to-head matchups with Kentucky

Kentucky football will have to overcome a lot of history to beat Tennessee on Saturday.

Kentucky football enters week ten of the college football season looking to avoid a fourth straight loss. The Wildcats have struggled mightily in SEC play, going 1 – 5 in versus conference opponents, and the Tennessee Volunteers are up next.

The Volunteers, however, are having a tremendous season. They’re 6 – 1 overall and 3 – 1 in the SEC, and currently ranked seventh in the US LBM Coaches Poll. It will be a tall order for Kentucky, and history doesn’t favor them.

Related: Who is at fault for the 2024 Kentucky season

The Wildcats and Volunteers have met 119 times, and Tennessee has won 84 of them compared to Kentucky’s 26. Recent history has been drastically in favor of the Vols as well.

Since winning 8-of-12 games from 1953 to 1964, it’s been virtually all Tennessee. Kentucky has only won seven times in the 59 years since. At one point, Tennessee won 26 in a row.

Kentucky last won in 2020, in blowout fashion. Last year, the Cats lost a close one, 33 – 27.

History, both recent and not-so-recent, seems to indicate a Tennessee win on Saturday. The Wildcats will try to beat a whole lot of history on Saturday.

Kentucky football tops the week nine Misery Index from USA TODAY Sports

Kentucky football comes in at number one in the USA TODAY Sports Misery Index.

After three straight losses, Kentucky football is at a point they haven’t been in quite some time. They’re all but eliminated from bowl contention, and fans have mostly decided the season is over.

It has been a frustrating year, and one that has fans feeling some anger over the direction of the program. Many are ready to move on from Mark Stoops as head coach.

These are the reasons that USA TODAY Sports analyst Dan Wolken has Kentucky football atop the misery index rankings this week.

Related: Who is at fault for Kentucky’s offensive failings

Wolken correctly points out that Stoops is one of the ten highest paid coaches in college football, and fans expect more after all this time. Wolken says:

He makes $9 million a year and is among the 10 highest-paid coaches in the country, largely because he’s turned down multiple opportunities to leave. You’d probably stay too for that kind of contract, the theory being that life will be good if you win seven or eight games. Unlike most fan bases in the SEC, Kentucky fans are never going to expect a national championship in football.

It’s an interesting situation with Kentucky football. Few people believe a national championship is on the horizon, but sometimes a staleness sets in, especially when the standards set aren’t being met.

Wolken add:

Stoops can be forgiven for a bad season, which this clearly has become. But after a dozen years, it’s easy to lose a fan base’s enthusiasm for struggling to make minor bowl games and losses to South Carolina, Vanderbilt and a bad Auburn team.

Kentucky will try to close the season strong, and maybe Stoops can win some of the fanbase back. Right now, however, Wildcats fans are certainly pretty miserable.

The best photos of Kentucky’s unfortunate loss to Auburn

The best images from Kentucky football’s loss to Auburn on Saturday night.

Just when Kentucky football fans thought they were at their lowest after two consecutive losses, to Vanderbilt and the Florida Gators, the Wildcats dropped a third straight, this one to the Auburn Tigers. Auburn hadn’t won an SEC game this season, but came out on top 24 – 10.

The Kentucky defense didn’t have its best showing, and gave up 328 rushing yards, but it was the offense that, once again, couldn’t get going. They managed just 224 total yards and 10 points.

Related: The cost to move on from Mark Stoops

The loss almost certainly ended Kentucky’s hopes at making a ninth straight bowl appearance. At 3 – 5, they would have to win three of their last four games, and they have the Tennessee Volunteers and Texas Longhorns both still to play.

Saturday night was a tough one for Big Blue Nation. As always, the pictures tell the story. Here are some of the best images from Kentucky’s devastating loss to Auburn.

Kentucky falls further, but the SEC has eight teams in the US LBM Coaches Poll

Kentucky remains unranked, but the SEC has eight teams in the US LBM Coaches Poll.

The losing streak for Kentucky football was extended to three games on Saturday night, as the Wildcats fell to Auburn 24 – 10. It’s been a tough year for both teams, but the Tigers dominated most of the game.

Neither team is likely to find themselves ranked in the US LBM Coaches Poll anytime soon. However, the SEC continues to dominate the polls. This week, eight of the 16 teams in the conference are ranked in the top 25 of the coaches poll.

Related: The cost to move on from coach Mark Stoops

The Georgia Bulldogs are the conference’s highest ranked team at number two. The Texas Longhorns and Tennessee Volunteers are also in the top ten at numbers seven and eight respectively.

The LSU Tigers took the biggest drop this week, falling nine spots to number 16. Missouri also dropped six spots after their loss. Vanderbilt fell out of the top 25, but they still got votes, along with Arkansas.

Here is the full US LBM Coaches Poll:

 

Rank Team Record Points
1 Oregon Ducks 8-0 1,349 (53)
2 Georgia Bulldogs 6-1 1,270 (1)
3 Penn State Nittany Lions 7-0 1,239
4 Ohio State Buckeyes 6-1 1,160
5 Miami Hurricanes 7-1 1,136
6 Texas Longhorns 7-1 1,096
7 Tennessee Volunteers 6-1 987
8 Clemson Tigers 6-1 942
9 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 7-1 853
10 Iowa State Cyclones 7-0 846
11 Texas A&M Aggies 7-1 806
12 BYU Cougars 8-0 786
13 Indiana Hoosiers 8-0 741
14 Alabama Crimson Tide 6-2 619
15 Kansas State Wildcats 7-1 533
16 LSU Tigers 6-2 530
17 Pittsburgh Panthers 7-0 495
18 Ole Miss Rebels 6-2 475
19 Boise State Broncos 6-1 459
20 SMU Mustangs 7-1 346
21 Army Black Knights 7-0 278
22 Washington State Cougars 7-1 160
23 Missouri Tigers 6-2 114
24 Illinois Fighting Illini 6-2 89
25 Memphis Tigers 7-1 76

Kentucky’s offense was listless once again as Kentucky falls to Auburn

Kentucky football scored just 10 points against Auburn and the Wildcats lost their third straight game.

If Kentucky football was hoping to get the offense going against the Auburn Tigers this week, it was disappointed once again by the end of Saturday night. They started strong, and jumped out to a 10 – 0 lead, but never scored again and lost 24 – 10.

The Wildcats managed just 224 yards of total offense on the night. They averaged just 5.7 yards per pass and 2.6 yards per carry, and generally looked ineffective. They also turned the ball over twice.

Related: The cost of moving on from coach Mark Stoops

Brock Vandagriff was 9-of-17 passing before giving way to Gavin Wimsatt, who was 3-of-10. Both quarterbacks threw an interception. Dane Key was the lone highlight on offense, with four catches for 87 yards.

Defensively, the Wildcats struggled again. Auburn running back Jarquez Hunter rushed for 278 yards and two touchdowns. Payton Thorne was solid, completing 20 of 26 passes for 172 yards and a score.

It is now highly unlikely that Kentucky makes it to a bowl game this season, snapping their streak of eight straight seasons. They fall to 3 – 5 with a difficult schedule remaining. They’ll look to close the season strong, but it looks like Auburn ended the Kentucky season on Saturday night.