Josh Heupel isn’t overlooking Kentucky, and the numbers explain why.
Tennessee may be a touchdown favorite for Saturday night’s game in Knoxville, but the higher-ranked team walking in is Kentucky. The Wildcats are No. 8 in the AP Top 25 and No. 7 in the coaches poll, while the Vols sit at No.
- And for Heupel, the challenge goes far beyond the rankings.
“Playing a really good football team that is playing extremely well together,” Tennessee coach Josh Heupel, who is 5-0 against Kentucky, said about UK “You look at their ability to win multiple ways. Finish games, turnover margin, they’ve been elite.
One of the least penalized teams in the league. Playing really smart in all three phases, so it’ll be a great test.”
That smart, clean style has been a defining trait for Kentucky this season. The Wildcats lead the SEC in turnover margin at +13 and are also first in fewest penalties, averaging just 4.5 per game.
Tennessee, by comparison, ranks 11th in penalties at 7.6 per game and is fifth in turnover margin at +3. The Vols have forced 14 takeaways, but they’ve also given it away 11 times.
Heupel pointed to Kentucky quarterback Kenny MInchey as a big part of that formula. Tennessee has had uneven quarterback play at times, but the Vols’ coach has been impressed by how Minchey has handled the position, especially with only one interception this season.
“I think the major thing is that they’re playing smart football. They’re playing all three phases of the game,” Heupel said.
“Quarterback that doesn’t turn it over. They’ve created turnovers.
That turnover margin is one of the best in the country.”
The matchup also comes with plenty of urgency on Tennessee’s side. Kentucky has only one loss, to Alabama, and has won six straight since that defeat.
The Wildcats are tied for the SEC lead at 5-1. Tennessee, meanwhile, has two SEC losses, including a frustrating defeat at South Carolina in its last game after it looked like the Vols had the result in hand.
Tennessee has to beat Kentucky to stay in the college football playoff race, while Kentucky has a little more breathing room.
Both teams are coming off bye weeks, and Heupel liked what he saw from his own group during the break.
“I thought we practiced well, they were intentional when they were in the building,” Heupel said. “Had some time this weekend to get away from it.
When you have a bye week, I think that’s important. They were refreshed, rejuvenated, ready to go this morning, but we got to carry that throughout the week.”
Heupel also made it clear that Kentucky’s success has been built on more than just one side of the ball. He credited the Wildcats for finishing games, including a couple of two-point conversions that helped them close out wins, and said the details have been the difference.
“They’ve finished extremely well, a couple two-point conversions to win. Comes down to doing the ordinary things that are really high level.
Communication, not hurting yourself with penalties, doing your job. And 11 guys operating as one,” the Tennessee coach said.
Defensively, Heupel said Tennessee will need to win at the line of scrimmage and force Kentucky into tougher passing downs.
“Defensively, we got to control the line of scrimmage. You got to get them into third and long situations.
You got to get them off the field. There’s a lot of eye candy shift-trade motion before the snap.
So, communication at all three levels of the defense, playing in sync, will be critical in this one too.”
Heupel also praised first-year Kentucky coach Will Stein and his staff for what they’ve built.
“Coach Stein, their staff, they’ve done a really good job. Some personnel that’s been there, they’ve added some personnel.
But at the end of the day, I think the major thing is that they’re playing smart football,” Heupel said. “They’re playing all three phases of the game.
Quarterback that doesn’t turn it over. They’ve created turnovers.
That turnover margin is one of the best in the country.”
The game is drawing heavy interest, too. According to The Tennessean, tickets on StubHub start at $362, while TickPick lists them at $339, VividSeats at $355 and SeatGeek at $380. Lower-level seats are going for anywhere from $435 to $1,617 on StubHub, $427 to $2,569 on TickPick, $436 to $12,051 on VividSeats and $465 to $12,598 on SeatGeek.
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