The Wildcats are gearing up for the biggest month of November in Kentucky football history. On Saturday, Kentucky travels to Knoxville to play the Tennessee Volunteers and it will be the first time since 1977 that Kentucky is ranked in the top ten for a November football game. This is uncharted territory for the Cats, and what head coach Will Stein has managed to do in year one is unbelievably unprecedented. Before we dive into our preview of the Vols, let's look at the rest of the regular season in what could be a November to remember for Kentucky.
Last week as Kentucky was on their bye week, we did a self scout analysis of Kentucky's offense and defense. On our analysis of Jay Bateman's defense, we highlighted the growth from the first month
of the season to the second month and how this group has improved their run defense. This was encouraging because Kentucky is going to face some of the most talented rushing offenses in the country over the next four games. The Cats will face DeSean Bishop, Jadan Baugh, Jamal Roberts and Isaac Brown; all four running backs rank top 30 in rushing yards among the FBS and all four guys average over five yards per carry.
Tennessee's DeSean Bishop is the engine of the Vols offense, if you slow him down you will be in position to win that game. Florida's Jadan Baugh has a rare combination of size and speed, and we have seen the Gators' offense struggle when Baugh can't get going. Missouri's Jamal Roberts has been incredible this season filling in for Ahmad Hardy as he has been sidelined most of the season, but the All-American made his season debut last week. Louisville's Isaac Brown is lightning in a bottle and his backup Keyjuan Brown is dangerous as well, they both rank top ten in the country in yards per carry.
This is the area of focus down the stretch for Kentucky's defense, they have to stop the run. I think some of the numbers are skewed due to the success of running quarterbacks early in the season, this team has done a solid job at slowing down the traditional run game. Another thing that helps, the three SEC teams left on the Wildcats schedule aren't playing dual threat quarterbacks. Louisville's quarterback Lincoln Kienholz is a dual threat, which is something Kentucky has faced in basically every game this season.
That is a key area to watch this weekend as well as against Florida and Missouri. How different will this defense look against pocket passers like George MacIntyre, Aaron Philo/Tramell Jones and Austin Simmons. Kentucky has gotten consistent pressure on the defensive line all season, but they have struggled at times to bring down these mobile quarterbacks. They won't have that problem over this three game stretch, and they always say that sacks come in bunches.
Kentucky has to be the more disciplined team in the month of November, and they have been exceptional in this area of the game all season. The Wildcats average just 4.5 penalties per game, which ranks 11th in the FBS. Kentucky is averaging 41.9 penalty yards per game, which ranks 18th in the country. These are signs of a well-coached football team and could be a big advantage that Kentucky has over this final month.
Tennessee ranks 104th in the FBS with 7.6 penalties per game and 93rd with 62.1 penalty yards per game. Florida ranks 114th in the FBS with 7.9 penalties per game and 126th with 75 penalty yards per game. Missouri ranks 94th in the FBS with 7.1 penalties per game and 101st with 65.3 penalty yards per game. Louisville ranks 97th in the FBS with 7.3 penalties per game and 122nd with 72 penalty yards per game.
Kentucky has some wiggle room as well, they can afford to drop one of these games down the stretch as a 10-2 Kentucky team will be in the College Football Playoff. In order to make potentially the last ever SEC Championship game, the Wildcats will likely have to win out. The Wildcats have to continue playing a clean brand of football over these last four games. Kentucky controls their own destiny in the month of November, it is time to sit back and enjoy the ride.
This article originally appeared on UK Wildcats Wire: Previewing the biggest November in Kentucky football history
