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Published Oct 27, 2023
BY THE NUMBERS: Previewing Kentucky vs. Tennessee
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Jeff Drummond  •  CatsIllustrated
Managing Editor
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@JDrumUK

In our weekly pregame feature, Cats Illustrated takes a look at some of the intriguing numbers going into the matchup between Kentucky and Tennessee on Saturday night in Lexington... 

1st - Kentucky running back Ray Davis' rank in the SEC in rushing (111.6 yards per game), all-purpose yardage (139.1 ypg), touchdowns (13), and scoring (11.1 points per game).

2 - Losses for Tennessee this season (Florida and Alabama) both saw the Volunteers' leading rusher go for less than 64 yards on the ground. A player has rushed for 115 or more in each of the five UT wins.

3rd - Year at UT for head coach Josh Heupel, who sports a 23-9 record overall and 12-8 mark in SEC play.

5 - Interceptions by Kentucky defensive back Maxwell Hairston leads the SEC this season. Tennessee's top pickoff artist, Kamal Hadden with three, was just ruled out for the remainder of the season due to shoulder surgery.

5 of 7 - Games in which the Tennessee offense has opened with a touchdown drive. The Vols' defense has allowed an opening-drive touchdown in only one game (Texas A&M) this season.

6 - Players on the UK roster from Tennessee: wide receivers Barion Brown (Nashville) and Shamar Porter (Nashville); quarterback Destin Wade (Spring Hill); outside linebacker Keaten Wade (Spring Hill); and defensive linemen Tre’vonn Rybka (Dickson) and Edric Simmons (Nashville). The Vols feature two players from the Bluegrass State: linebacker Kalib Perry (Georgetown) and defensive back Cristian Conyer (Bowling Green).

7th - The Volunteers' national rank in rushing offense at 217.3 per game. Despite boasting Davis as the SEC's leading rusher, UK ranks 68th nationally at just 155.4 yards per game.

10 - Points is the total margin of victory in the last three games between UK and UT in Lexington. The Cats won 29-26 in 2017, while the Vols won 17-13 in 2019 and 45-42 in 2021. The Vegas line, perhaps not coincidentally, sits in the three-point range favoring the visitors.

13/25 - Kentucky and Tennessee's national rank, respectively, in rushing defense this season. The Cats are second in the SEC, allowing just 95.7 yards per game on the ground. The Vols are allowing 109.9.

17-5 - Kentucky's record in its last 22 night games at Kroger Field.

28 - Sacks recorded by the Vols this season, which is tied for fifth nationally. Defensive end James Pierce Jr. has seven sacks to lead the unit. Linebacker Tyler Baron is close behind with five. The Cats rank second in the SEC in sacks allowed, surrendering only 11 on the season.

44/45 - Tennessee and Kentucky's national rank, respectively, in scoring offense this season at 31.6 and 31.3.

62.8 - Completion percentage for the Vols' Joe Milton. That's significantly lower than the 69.6 figure former UT quarterback Hendon Hooker put up last season, ranking fourth in the nation. Milton has also doubled Hooker's interception total from two to four.

118/120 - The Volunteers and Wildcats are two of the most heavily penalized teams in the country, both averaging almost 68 yards lost per game.

119th - Meeting between border rivals Kentucky and Tennessee, the most for the Wildcats against any opponent. They have met annually since 1919 with the exception of 1943 due to World War II.

2005 - Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops was defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach at Arizona while Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel was tight ends coach for the Pac-12's Wildcats.


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