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Kentucky at Tennessee
11/24/2010
11:30 a.m. CST
The Kentucky Wildcats visit Knoxville, Tenn. to take on the Vols in this annual SEC East rivalry week game. The Wildcats have not beaten the Vols in 25 years, which is currently the longest active streak in the country between two teams that play each other annually. Kentucky and Tennessee have met 106 times with the Vols leading the series 73-23-9. Wildcats Head Coach Joker Phillips was a member of the 1984 Wildcats team that last beat Tennessee. Is this the Kentucky team that will finally get the proverbial monkey off their back and beat the Vols, or will the streak continue?
Emotions will be high in Knoxville as a class of seniors that has been through more adversity than arguably any other group, having three different head coaches in as many years, runs through the T for the last time. The Vols are fighting for a bowl birth and do not want to be labeled as the group that lost to Kentucky ending the streak, but the Wildcats are a tough, talented group and the only SEC East team to beat divisional champs South Carolina. In the midst of all the rivalry week games, the Kentucky-Tennessee game should be an exciting and challenging game, living up to rivalry week expectations.
The Kentucky Wildcats have an explosive offense led by quarterback Mike Hartline and anchored in do-it-all wide receiver Randall Cobb. Cobb is an Alcoa, Tenn. native, which is approximately 15 miles from Neyland Stadium and the University of Tennessee. Cobb ranks second in the nation for all-purpose yards, just 264 yards shy of breaking Darren McFadden’s SEC all-purpose yardage record. He presents the biggest threat to any defense in his ability to run and throw the ball in addition to being a standout receiver. Kentucky will utilize his abilities in every facet as he returns home to play against the Tennessee Vols.
Cobb is not the only Wildcat with a Tennessee connection. Two members of the Wildcats coaching staff also have strong ties to the Vols. Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach Randy Sanders as well as Wide Receivers Coach Tee Martin have adorned the orange and white and hold a special place in the hearts of many volunteer fans. Randy Sanders is a Tennessee native and spent 22 seasons (1984-2005) with the Vols as a player and coach. Sanders spent the last seven years of his tenure at Tennessee as the Vols’ offensive coordinator, with his first game in his new position being the 1999 Fiesta Bowl when the Vols beat Florida State to win the BCS National Championship. While Sanders was a coach at Tennessee, the Vols went 162-46-2, winning four SEC Championships, six Eastern Division titles and one national title. Wide Receivers Coach Tee Martin was quarterback of the Vols the year they won the BCS National Championship. He is in his first year as wide receivers coach at Kentucky and it will surely be a bittersweet homecoming for the former Vol as he looks to defeat his alma mater, where is still beloved.
The Vols are on a three-game winning streak, the longest of their season, and hope to gain bowl eligibility this Saturday by beating Kentucky. It is “win or go home” for the Vols and this young team could certainly benefit from an additional month of practice. The Wildcats will have to stop the run led by Vols top rusher Tauren Poole. Kentucky has allowed an average of 167.2 rushing yards this season and will challenged once more defensively by one of the SEC’s best running backs. This should be a high-scoring game filled with motivation for both teams as well as offensive proficiency. Turnovers have been costly for both teams throughout the season and, as General Neyland’s game maxims state, the team that makes the fewest mistakes wins. Get ready for a showdown in Knoxville at 11:21 a.m. CST to kickoff a day filled with rivalry games, a unique quality of the game that endears fans and makes college football so great. |
