Cats Illustrated takes a closer look at Saturday's Kentucky-Tennessee game and breaks down the matchup by comparing the teams by position.
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QUARTERBACK
Stephen Johnson had one of his worst games as a Wildcat and certainly his worst game of 2017 last week in Starkville. He completed less than 50-percent of his passes, threw as many picks (2) as he had in the previous six games and couldn't create big plays. Nonetheless, based on how Johnson has played in 2017, it's only fair to call that performance an outlier unless it becomes a trend. He has still been a quality SEC quarterback with nine touchdowns, four picks and a 5-2 record for the season.
Quinton Dormady started the season as Tennessee's quarterback but now the job has fallen to Jarrett Guarantano and he has been unspectacular in his action. Guarantano is completing 55-percent of his passes (the same number Dormady had posted) but his high water mark in passing yards was a paltry 133 against South Carolina two weekends ago.
The Edge: KENTUCKY
RUNNING BACK
Benny Snell is now behind his rushing pace from a season ago and that's noteworthy because he is Kentucky's unchallenged No. 1 running back whereas he split carries evenly last year. His seven carries for 18 yards against Mississippi State amounted to one of his worst performances as a Kentucky football player. A.J. Rose saw his first significant UK action with the Cats on the wrong end of a blowout, but he suffered an injury and Mark Stoops said he will miss the Tennessee game. Snell and Sihiem King will share duties on Saturday.
Tennessee has rushed for 872 yards through seven games and while struggles in the passing game may have been the Vols' primary offensive issue to date, the ground game has not made headway against some strong opposition. John Kelly, like Snell for Kentucky, is far and away Tennessee's most productive back (125 carries, 615 yards). He has actually been more consistent than Snell this season.
The Edge: Slight edge to Tennessee
WIDE RECEIVER
Kentucky's receivers had shown consistent improvement through 2017 but like every other unit on the offense they regressed against Mississippi State. The receivers did not win their 50/50 opportunities and although Garrett Johnson and Lynn Bowden made some plays, they have to play stronger and become more a part of the offense again.
Kelly, the running back mentioned earlier, is Tennessee's second-leading receiver. That's a testament to his pass-catching skills (26 catches, 255 yards) but also a sign of how limited the Vols have been at the receiver position. Brandon Johnson (22 catches, 265 yards) and Marquez Callaway (15 catches, 249 yards), both sophomores, are Tennessee's top receiving threats.
The Edge: EVEN
TIGHT END
There are some clear similarities between Kentucky's C.J. Conrad and Tennessee's Ethan Wolf. Conrad has been more of a big play option this year, but they have a similar number of targets and catches. Both are experienced players and veteran leaders from the Buckeye State. And both, fans of each team probably wonder, should be more involved in their respective offense than they have been to date.
The Edge: EVEN
OFFENSIVE LINE
Kentucky's offensive line has been one of the biggest issues for the Wildcats in 2017 and they did nothing to silence criticism or ease concerns with a woeful performance against Mississippi State. The Bulldogs handled Kentucky's front, hurried Johnson and didn't allow the Cats' backs to find much running room. The snap issues have been cleaned up with Drake Jackson's move to center, but the line's other issues remain unresolved.
Tennessee starts true freshman Trey Smith and several more experienced players and the unit has struggled in 2017. Your offense doesn't spin its wheels as much as Tennessee's has unless the line has issues. The Vols' 3.81 yards per carry is not too concerning considering the team has faced several quality run defenses. Tennessee has surrendered 16 sacks in seven games and opponents have 51 tackles for loss during that span. There are plenty of talented individual players in this group, but they have lacked cohesion in 2017.
The Edge: Slight edge to Tennessee
DEFENSIVE LINE
Tennessee's defensive line has pressured the quarterback better than Kentucky's in 2017 and some of that is talent while some of it is scheme. Reginald McKenzie, Jr., has a pair of sacks and several tackles for loss while Kendall Vickers, Darrell Taylor, Deandre Johnson, Jonathan Kongbo and Alexis Johnson all have sacks as well. But the Vols have not fared well against the run at all. Through seven games the Volunteers have surrendered 1,729 rushing yards (5.12 YPC). Georgia Tech rushed for 535 yards against UT in the season opener and while the unit cleaned up in the three weeks after that, Georgia, South Carolina and Alabama have all approached 200 or 300 yards the last three weeks. The issue has been the defensive line wearing down over time.
Kentucky's defensive line was one of the program's more pleasant surprises through about four or five games but as SEC play has heated up the Cats' front has been manhandled, worse than ever against Mississippi State. The unit is not generating much pressure and has a lot to prove.
The Edge: TENNESSEE
LINEBACKERS
This is one area where Kentucky's defense could have a clear advantage. While Colton Jumper has put up big numbers for Tennessee (4.5 sacks, 7 TFL, 38 tackles) and Daniel Bituli and Quart'e Sapp rank among the SEC's top tacklers (57 & 45 total), Josh Allen is one of the most dynamic pass rushers in the league and could be the best linebacker on the field. Jordan Jones and Courtney Love should be around the ball most of the game as Tennessee tries to grind it out against UK's defense with Kelly. The Cats could use an overdue big game from Denzil Ware.
The Edge: Slight edge to Kentucky
DEFENSIVE BACKS
Although Tennessee has faced some tough competition in 2017 their secondary has held up quite well. The Volunteers have given up a ton of rushing yards this year and that's one reason opponents haven't passed for too many yards or touchdowns. But the point remains, UT has surrendered just seven passing touchdowns. The Vol secondary has only picked off three passes and just two of those belong to players in the secondary. Alabama did pretty much whatever they wanted against UT in the air but Georgia and South Carolina had trouble throwing the ball.
Kentucky's secondary has struggled this year in spite of having more experienced talent, in most people's eyes, than the program has had in a while. UK's opponents have passed for about 100 yards per game more than Tennessee's opponents have thrown for. The Cats have picked off six passes but have allowed 13 touchdown passes.
The Edge: TENNESSEE
SPECIAL TEAMS
Kentucky ranks 27th nationally in special teams play according to the S&P+ advanced numbers. Their worst performance area is kickoff success but they rank 77th there. Kentucky is somewhere between great (punt return success) and average in almost every special teams category.
Tennessee is average in the same special teams rankings (48th). They are best on kickoffs and kick returns but struggle on field goals.
The Edge: KENTUCKY
