Tennessee was able to take care of Kentucky in high-scoring affair. What does this victory mean for both teams?
The Tennessee Volunteers were able to beat the Kentucky Wildcats, 33-27, in a scoring shootout that lasted till the closing minutes of this game. Jaylen Wright was able to run for 120 yards on only 11 carries. He ended up with a rushing touchdown as well.
The rushing attack continued with Dylan Sampson rushing for 75 yards on 17 carries. Addtionally, he also ended up with a rushing touchdown. Devin Leary had a very good game as he went for 372 yards and 2 passing touchdowns.
The rushing game for the Wildcats was one of the reasons that the team lost as Ray Davis was unable to get going in this game. This was a back-and-forth game that Tennesee won due to the fact that they were able to run out the clock late. Both defenses in the first half didn’t play well as it was 23-17 at half.
The defenses played a little better in the second half but not much better as both teams scored 10 more points each. Tennessee was able to win this game as Sampson, Wright, and the Volunteers offensive line controlled the battle up front.
What does this result mean for Tennessee and Kentucky going forward?
For a team that started 5-0, there is a huge chance that the Wildcats don’t end up getting more than 7 wins for the entire regular season. While the Wildcats have easy games against Mississippi State and South Carolina to get to bowl eligibility, I don’t see a viable way for this team to get more than 7 wins in the regular season.
Louisville has been a solid team all season and will most likely be able to care for Kentucky. While the Tide has had a lot of offensive issues this season, the defense will certainly take care of the Wildcats. While the SEC is really tough, Kentucky kind of blew their chance at a 10-win season this year with Devin Leary.
Leary hasn’t been good all season and he is part of the reason that the team lost in this game against Tennessee and Missouri. While the expectations are not a lot for Mark Stoops, this is the second straight season that the school could be facing a seven-win season.
Tennessee comes out of this game with a great chance to end up with 10 wins this season. Their games against UConn, Missouri, and Vanderbilt are very winable. Missouri will surely be a challenge but Joe Milton and company will have a chance to win the game.
While an early Gators loss may be the reason that the squad is not able to match their win total from last season, 10 wins for an offense that lost all of their playmaking talent is pretty good. This offense looked really bad at times but they will most likely be able to have a 8 win regular season at worst.
The game vs. Missouri and the bowl game will be the difference between the Volunteers having a great season given the circumstances or having a semi-disappointing season. If Joe Milton is able to lead the offense like he did in this game, they will certainly have an extremely good shot to win in both games.