The SEC had exercised a six-day option for the Tennessee vs. Kentucky game and a handful of other conference match-ups next weekend as they waited to see how events would unfold on Saturday. Now all the games have been played, and the Vols-Wildcats contest has a time and television venue.
This year’s Tennessee vs. Kentucky game will kick off at 3:30 PM Eastern on the SEC Network this upcoming Saturday, November 10th.
Make sure you get all of our exclusive recruiting interviews and in-depth analysis on Tennessee football, basketball, recruiting, and more by becoming a member of RTI Premium today!
Kentucky faced their toughest test of the 2018 season on Saturday, and they couldn’t find a way to topple No. 6 Georgia. The Wildcats, who were ranked No. 9 heading into the match-up with the Bulldogs, fell 34-17 in a game that wasn’t as close as the final score might’ve indicated. In the process, Kentucky’s hopes of winning the SEC East were destroyed, and now they’ll enter their final conference contest hoping to end the SEC schedule on a high note.
Tennessee, meanwhile, is coming off a win, but it’s not a win to brag about. The Vols won an ugly, uninspiring game against Conference USA opponent Charlotte, 14-3. Tennessee managed just 20 rushing yards on 26 carries and only scored seven points on offense.
It won’t get any easier for the Vols to find running room against the Wildcats, though. Kentucky boasts the fifth-best run defense in the SEC this season, giving up just 133.2 rushing yards per game and only 3.8 yards per carry to opponents. Georgia was able to amass 331 yards on the ground against the Wildcats on Saturday, however.
The Vols will have their hands full on defense trying to stop a potent Kentucky rushing attack headed up by the SEC’s leading rusher, Benny Snell. The junior has over 1,000 yards on the season, but he’s been contained the past two weekends by Missouri and Georgia respectively, running for just 67 yards on 19 carries against the Tigers and just 73 yards on 20 attempts against Georgia.
Kentucky will enter Saturday’s contest with a 7-2 record and a 5-2 mark in conference play. They’ll likely still be ranked inside the top 20 of the AP Poll and the CFP Poll when the Vols host them. Tennessee will be 4-5 overall and 1-4 in SEC play when they play the Wildcats.
Tennessee leads the all-time series against Kentucky 79-25-9, but the Wildcats won last year’s match-up in Lexington, 29-26. That victory was Kentucky’s first win over UT since 2011 and only their second win over the Vols since a win back in 1984.
