Tennessee-Kentucky Preview

Today’s Kentucky-Tennessee game comes down to the “Wild Cobb” package. Alcoa’s own Randall Cobb had only 45 total yards against the Vols last season and he admits that he may have put too much pressure on himself during that game. If the Wildcats are going to beat the Vols for the first time since 1984, Cobb needs to have a great game against the Vols. The versatile receiver has 403 receiving yards with four touchdowns and 436 rushing yards with nine rushing touchdowns. Cobb is one of the biggest misses of Phillip Fulmer’s staff and Lane Kiffin mentioned this week how much it hurts the Vols to lose a local kid like Cobb. Monte Kiffin’s defense struggled against the Wild Cat when the Vols played Auburn, Alabama and Ole Miss and today should be no different.

Cobb has eight rushing touchdowns in the last six games that he has played in and Tennessee fans are still having nightmares of Dexter McCluster . Tennessee defensive tackle Dan Williams is moving up the NFL Draft charts and he will be a big factor against Kentucky’s offensive line. The Wildcats are the least penalized team in the SEC and the Vols can’t afford dumb penalties against the Wildcats. Assuming that defensive end Chris Walker plays against the Wildcats, expect Tennessee’s defense to pressure Cobb and freshman quarterback Morgan Newton. The freshman is 5-1 as a starter, but has only attempted 90 passes in six games.

When Tennessee has the ball, expect Lane Kiffin to lean on the run against Kentucky’s horrible run defense. The Vols could win this game by running the ball every single down, but Kiffin feels confident with how quarterback Jonathan Crompton has finished his senior season. Crompton will try to go deep against the Wildcats secondary and cornerback Trevard Lindley was ranked as a potential first round pick coming into this season. Lindley is still shaking off the rust after battling injuries all season, but he should be able to shutdown Gerald Jones or Denarius Moore. Keep an eye on linebacker Sam Maxwell. Micah Johnson received all the hype coming into this season, but Maxwell is the one with five interceptions and two forced fumbles.

Finally, will Tennessee’s special teams be able to handle the cold weather? Kentucky is loaded with speed and former walk-on kicker Devin Mathis is only kicking in his second game. Tennessee can’t afford a bad game from Mathis or punter Chad Cunningham. Here is a stat to remember: The Wildcats are only 2-4 on Senior Day under Rich Brooks, including a 31-24 loss to Vanderbilt last year. This one will be very close throughout the game with the Vols winning 24-21.