Tennessee football's Week 9 will have the Volunteers heading to Lexington to face the Kentucky Wildcats. This will be only the third time that the No. 21 Volunteers will be on the road in 2023 and their second straight in the last two weeks. The problem is that they haven't fared so well in those other two games.
In their first test of the young season, going all the way back to Week 3, Tennessee faced a familiar crisis when they visited Gainesville and The Swamp against the Florida Gators. Unfortunately, it didn't end up going Tennessee's way, as they lost 29-16 in what was quite the upset. Then just last week, the Volunteers football squad blew a 20-7 halftime lead against Alabama, the other rival thorn in their side, and ended up losing 34-20.
Of course, these were both teams that Tennessee beat last season, which is what catapulted them all the way up to No. 1 in the country. This week's opponent, Kentucky, was also one of the Volunteers' victims at Neyland Stadium. But, like Alabama and Florida, the Wildcats will be playing host this year. Should Tennessee fans be worried? Let's get into some Tennessee football Week 9 predictions.
*Watch college football LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Ray Davis barely gets to 100 yards against Tennessee football's defense
Ray Davis is having quite the year for Kentucky since transferring from Vanderbilt. He's rushed for 781 yards on 111 carries for eight touchdowns this season. He is the offense for the Wildcats. He'll be facing a Volunteers football team defense that ranks 26th in rushing yards per game (115) and 20th in yards per carry (3.1), according to Team Rankings.
He'll no doubt be a challenge, but if the Volunteers can make Kentucky one-dimensional, then maybe holding Davis to just around 100 yards will be manageable to still win the game.
Tennessee football has a better second half against Kentucky football in Week 9
After the Volunteers got off to a rousing start in the first half of the Alabama game, they came to a complete stop in the second half. Even against Kentucky, that can't happen in Week 9, especially on the road in SEC play.
The Volunteers need a complete game this week to get back on track. Kentucky has been typically one of those games for them, minus the years when subpar coaching was a problem. Expect not only Tennessee to come out hot in the first half but also in the second half against the Wildcats. They will be hoping to prove a lot of doubters wrong.
Tennessee football holds Kentucky football to two scores
Tennessee has every reason to be mad coming into this game with the way they finished last week's game against Alabama. Again, they have a lot to prove, especially as they always seem like a team that needs roadside assistance.
Tennessee football is ranked 17th in total defense and is allowing 19.4 points per game. Kentucky, to begin with, against lesser opponents, mind you, was scoring at will, averaging 37 points per game in their first five games. Then they met Georgia and Mizzou, where they averaged 17. The Volunteers may do even better than that. They can hold Kentucky football to two scores.
Tennessee football wins big over Kentucky football
Tennessee has only lost three times to Kentucky since 1985, with their last loss to the Wildcats coming in 2020 in a 34-7 defeat. The last time they lost in Lexington was back in 2017. So, it's very rare when Kentucky bests Tennessee, so it shouldn't be expected that will happen this weekend.
Again, the Volunteers and head coach Josh Heupel still have some proving points to make in this season that hasn't quite gone the way it was expected to when it started out. This may be a Kentucky football team with a similar overall and SEC record (5-2, 2-2), but this is a “get-right” game for Tennessee this weekend. The Volunteers are only favored by 3.5, according to FanDuel, but they should easily exceed that. They will win by at least two scores.
Follow Us
Subscribe