It’s been common to see the Kentucky Wildcats ahead of the Vols in the SEC East men’s basketball standings over the past few years.
But it’s not as common to see the Vols trailing the Cats during football season.
Tennessee (6-3, 2-3 SEC) and Kentucky (5-4, 4-3) will meet for the 112th time on Saturday at Neyland Stadium for a game that could have a huge impact on the race for the SEC East.
The Volunteers need to win all of their remaining games to stay in the running for the division title, but a loss to Kentucky could shake things up.
The Wildcats are currently second in the East and could take the division if a few things happen. They would need to win their final conference game against Tennessee and have Florida lose its last two conference games.
History is on the Vols’ side considering they lead the series 78-24-9 and the last time Tennessee lost to Kentucky at home was in 1984. But even if Tennessee does beat Kentucky, the Volunteers still need Florida to lose to either South Carolina this week or LSU the next to win the SEC East.
Kentucky is also a much more competitive team this year. Tennessee head coach Butch Jones talked about the challenge that linebacker Jordan Jones and the rest of the Wildcat’s defense presents on Wednesday.
“Jordan Jones adds a whole other dynamic on their defense, he’s very quick and very explosive,” Jones said. “They have a very good defensive front, they’re very disruptive. Both linebackers are really good. They’re edge players, I think that’s the biggest difference in their defense this year.”
Everything seems be to going Tennessee’s way, though. After the shutting out Tennessee Tech 55-0 in the homecoming game and Florida losing to Arkansas, Tennessee fans received more good news at the beginning of the week. Team captains Cam Sutton and Alvin Kamara might be back for the Kentucky game.
Sutton and Kamara returned to practice earlier this week but remain game-time decisions for Saturday against Kentucky.
Sutton has been out since he fractured his ankle in the Ohio game on Sept. 17 and has missed the majority of his senior year. Kamara, meanwhile, has been out with a knee injury from the Alabama game on Oct. 15.
“They’ve practiced in every period, they’ve done a very good job and you can see the excitement,” Jones said. “I think there was a lot of energy on the practice field relative to them being out there and practicing on Monday.”
Both Kamara and Sutton have been valuable assets for the Vols on special teams, but the enhanced risk of injury in those roles is something that Coach Jones said he will have to consider going forward with the remainder of the season.
While getting good field position is important to Jones, he is more focused on their health, especially with the SEC East still up for grabs.
“We’ll be very, very selective in terms of their involvement on special teams,” Jones said. “We just want to make sure they’re healthy and ready to contribute.”
Jones and the team credit their ability to stay competitive without players like Sutton and Kamara to their teammates’ willingness to step up in their absence but replacing such versatile players is not an easy task.
Senior defensive lineman LaTroy Lewis expressed his confidence in the Vols’ depth on Wednesday but is excited about the possibility of having Sutton back for the game against Kentucky.
“I have tremendous faith in every DE that we put on the field, every corner, every safety, every linebacker, but it would be awesome to have Cam back,” Lewis said. “He’s a phenomenal football player.”
Versatility is not the only attribute that the Volunteers have missed.
Sophomore linebacker Darrin Kirkland Jr. is happy to have Sutton back because of the veteran knowledge and presence he brings to the team.
“It definitely speaks volumes to have your captain back on the field,” Kirkland Jr. said. “Especially in our back end, he brings veteran leadership as a guy who’s been through all scenarios in the four years since he’s been here, so I’m really looking forward to his leadership throughout the rest of the week in practice and this Saturday in the game.”
The Vols kickoff against the Wildcats this Saturday at noon. The game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.
