Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops speaks on upcoming matchup with Tennessee Vols
The Tennessee Vols have a matchup with UT-Martin on Saturday in Neyland Stadium so the matchup with the Kentucky Wildcats on October 29 isn't on their mind quite yet. Kentucky, however, has a bye this weekend, which means they're already thinking about the Vols. On Tuesday, Wildcats head coach Mark Stoops was asked about Tennessee. […]
The Tennessee Vols have a matchup with UT-Martin on Saturday in Neyland Stadium so the matchup with the Kentucky Wildcats on October 29 isn't on their mind quite yet.
Kentucky, however, has a bye this weekend, which means they're already thinking about the Vols.
On Tuesday, Wildcats head coach Mark Stoops was asked about Tennessee.
Stoops was extremely complimentary of the Vols and quarterback Hendon Hooker — especially after watching Tennessee beat Alabama on Saturday.
"You saw it (Tennessee's win over Alabama) didn't you? Pretty good," said Stoops on Tuesday. "Playing extremely fast, very talented. Quarterback is playing at an extremely high level and they are as a team. That's why they deserved to be ranked where they're at."
"I think you can watch him (Vols QB Hendon Hooker) for five minutes and see the level he's playing at," added Stoops. "Again, broken record. Playing at a very high level. They're playing very well as a team."
"You're going to play a team (in Tennessee) as fast as anybody we've seen," continued Stoops. "With their tempo, with how fast they run the plays, but also their personnel. Extremely talented and explosive on all sides. So we got a lot of work to do."
It sounds like Stoops is well aware of how tough this game will be. He's giving the Vols plenty of respect.
Tennessee will have to be on their "A game" against the Wildcats. It's a game where the Vols will be favored and a game they should absolutely win. But Kentucky is a good team. And they're more than capable of upsetting Tennessee. If the Vols look past the Wildcats to the Georgia game, they could earn their first loss of the season.
The good news for the Vols, though, is that Josh Heupel and his staff have done an excellent job this season of keeping Tennessee's players in the present and focused on the opponent for that week and nothing else. That's the main reason why I think the Vols overlooking Kentucky is unlikely.
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