FOOTBALL CENTRAL: Tennessee at Kentucky

 

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee continues SEC road play this week as the Vols head to Lexington to take on Kentucky at Kroger Field. Saturday’s game will feature at 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff on SEC Network.

Tom Hart (play-by-play) and Jordan Rodgers (analyst) will be in the booth and Cole Cubelic will report from the sidelines. Vol Network radio affiliates will have a live audio broadcast with Bob Kesling, Tim Priest and Brent Hubbs. Sirius Channel 119 and XM Channel 191 will also carry a live audio broadcast.

Tennessee (3-4, 0-4 SEC) is coming off a 45-7 road loss to No. 1 Alabama on Oct. 21. Redshirt freshman quarterback Jarrett Guarantano completed nine of 16 passes for 44 yards and the Vols totaled 64 rushing yards in the loss. Freshman cornerback Shawn Shamburger had a breakout game on defense, posting a career-high 12 tackles and one sack.

Kentucky (5-2, 2-2 SEC) suffered a 45-7 road loss against Mississippi State last week. Senior quarterback Stephen Johnson went 13-for-28 for 117 yards and two interceptions and the Wildcats combined for 115 rushing yards.

Kentucky received four votes in the Week 9 Amway Coaches Poll.

Tennessee-Kentucky Rivalry

Tennessee and Alabama will meet for the 113th time on Saturday. The Vols are 79-24-9 all-time against the Wildcats and hold a 37-14-3 against UK when the game is played in Lexington.

UT has won the last five games of the series. In 2016, Tennessee took a 49-36 win in Knoxville thanks largely to a strong showing by quarterback Joshua Dobbs, who went 11-for-17 for 223 yards and three scores and also rushed for 147 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries.

The Vols are 31-1 in their last 32 games against Kentucky.

UK last defeated Tennessee on Nov. 26, 2011, when the Wildcats took a 10-7 win in Lexington.

Freshmen Smith, Guarantano Stepping Up For UT Offense

Freshman offensive lineman Trey Smith has lived up to the hype after coming to Rocky Top as the nation’s No. 1-rated recruit in the 2017 class according to ESPN with a freshman All-American-caliber season this fall.

Smith has started all seven games this season at right guard and leads the Vols’ offensive line with 30 knockdowns. He is the second-highest graded offensive lineman for the Vols behind preseason All-SEC senior Jashon Robertson.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Jarrett Guarantano will make his third-consecutive start against the Wildcats. The Lodi, N.J., native has completed 32 of 58 passes for 231 yards and one touchdown with one interception. Against No. 1 Alabama, Guarantano passed for 44 yards on 9-of-16 passing and rushed for 26 yards, but took four sacks for a loss of 34

Shamburger Enjoys Breakout Game vs. Alabama

True freshman cornerback Shawn Shamburger led Tennessee with 12 tackles and his first sack in his first-career start at No. 1 Alabama. Shamburger’s 12 tackles were the most by a true freshman since Brian Randolph had 12 against Kentucky in 2011. His 12 tackles were also the most by a Vol in an SEC game this season.

Late in the second quarter, Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts completed a 34-yard pass to Irv Smith Jr. and Shamburger stripped the ball from Smith. The ball rolled out of the back of the end zone. However, Jonathan Kongbo was called for illegal hands to the face, negating the turnover.

Shamburger has played in all seven games for the Vols this season and has 13 tackles.

Daniel Making Case for Ray Guy Award

Redshirt senior punter Trevor Daniel is a nominee for the Ray Guy Award and ranks second in the SEC and fourth nationally among FBS punters with an average of 47.7 yards per attempt.

Daniel leads the SEC and ranks second in the Power 6 with 18 punts inside the 20. He also has seven punts inside the 10.

His 45.7-yard average is the best in Tennessee history and ranks second among active NCAA punters, regardless of division.