GAMEDAY: Kentucky Seeks to Spoil Tennessee Black Out

by:Nick Roush•10/29/22•

RoushKSR

Tennessee has transformed into the darlings of the college football world. The uptempo spread offense is scoring more points than any other team in America. They exorcized demons by knocking off Alabama. Now the world is ready to see them take down Georgia next week to retake the throne atop the SEC East. It feels like ’98 in Knoxville. The only thing standing in their way is Mark Stoops and little ol’ Kentucky.

The two teams are polar opposites in so many ways. They each are led by star quarterbacks. Will Levis is built to be a star on Sundays, while Heisman Trophy candidate Hendon Hooker is putting up ridiculous stats only seen in the college football ranks. Hooker plays fast, faster than anyone in the country, while the Kentucky offense plays with a pro pace, often crawling slower than a snail. The Vols’ defense stops the run, but is the worst in America against the pass. Meanwhile, Kentucky’s pass defense has put the clamps on just about everyone by preventing big plays.

The sport of college football is defined by momentum. Injuries and mistakes temporarily stalled Kentucky’s. Fresh after a week off, the Wildcats have an opportunity to knock off the hottest team in the country on the biggest stage the sport has to offer. If Kentucky seizes the moment, it will be a night to remember for the Big Blue Nation.

Kentucky vs. Tennessee: TV, Radio and Point Spread

A week ago the Wildcats were 14-point underdogs. After opening at Tennessee -12.5, the money has come in on the Cats to drop that number to 11.5. The total is 61.5. Since mid-2019, UK is 11-2-1 ATS as a dog with seven outright wins. The road team is 6-1 ATS in the last seven games in this series with three consecutive outright wins.

For the first time, Kentucky will play to the sounds of Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit. Holly Rowe will be roaming the sidelines for ESPN. Kickoff is set for 7 pm. If you can’t attend the game or stream the Cats, you can always listen to the Voice of the Wildcats, Tom Leach, and Jeff Piecoro.

AM: 840 WHAS, 630 WLAP
FM: 98.1 WBUL
Satellite: Sirius 132/192, SXM app 81

Gino Torretta and Roxy Bernstein will have a national broadcast of the game on the Touchdown Radio Network.

Kentucky Football Game Day Schedule

4:00 — The KSR Pregame Show on 630 WLAP
4:45 — The Cat Walk near Gate 7
7:00 — Kickoff on ESPN

A New Kentucky Tradition

A few memories endure from Kentucky’s last trip to Knoxville, a 34-7 UK win. There was a pick six, then another, followed by John Schlarman’s final address to the UK locker room. “You come together, nobody can stop you.” It all started just off I-75 at the University of the Cumberlands with a Friday run-through. The Cats kept that tradition alive yesterday.

We want to thank @UKFootball for stopping by campus. Good luck this weekend. #OneBigTeam pic.twitter.com/hB3m7vuvO2
— UC Athletics (@UC_Patriots) October 28, 2022

Two Healthy Teams

Kentucky desperately needed the bye week. Aside from linebacker Jacquez Jones, the Wildcats appear to have everyone ready to play against Tennessee, including star slot receiver Tayvion Robinson. The Vols will also have their star slot receiver back in action. Pete Thamel reports Cedric Tillman will return after suffering a high ankle sprain. Jalin Hyatt turned into a star during his absence. It would be a real shame if Tillman threw off the offense’s mojo, a real shame. Jaylen McCullough will also be available for the Vols after the defensive back was arrested for aggravated assault earlier this month.

Today’s Kentucky Football Uniforms

Folks are falling in love with the Vols’ all-black uniforms. Not sure what’s wrong with people. If there’s an ounce of Tennessee orange in that uniform, it’s ugly. There’s no way around it. Kentucky is combating the all-black by wearing white jerseys and pants with blue helmets. The Cats are 10-12 in all-white uniforms under Mark Stoops and 1-1 this year.

Dane Key Kentucky football — Photo by Dr. Michael Huang | Kentucky Sports Radio

What does this mean?

Vince Marrow drove separately to Knoxville. The Big Dog spent his Friday night watching Frederick Douglass romp Boyle County to finish the regular season undefeated. On his way to Rocky Top, UK’s associate head coach ran into a little trouble. Is this a good sign for what’s to come?

Wow a Tennesee state trooper pulled me over for speeding. He looked at my ID and let me go. Didn’t get his name but he was a nice guy. On to Knoxville.
— CoachMarrowUK (@vincemarrow) October 29, 2022

The Future is Bright for Kentucky

One of Vince Marrow’s top recruits from the state of Ohio put on a show Friday night. Slot receiver Anthony Brown has been outstanding this fall and last night was no exception. He had three touchdowns and put someone in a spin cycle to propel Springfield into the playoffs.

Anthony Brown putting on a show. Beautiful spin move here. This is his third touchdown catch. Springfield leads 35-0 with 3:39 left. Running clock rest of way. pic.twitter.com/LVJv84TIkv
— David Jablonski (@DavidPJablonski) October 29, 2022