One thing the Tennessee Vols' defense must watch out for against Kentucky
The Kentucky Wildcats haven't been shy about publicly sharing their offensive game plan this week for their matchup against the Tennessee Vols on Saturday. Kentucky's plan seems to be to slow the game down and limit Tennessee's offensive possessions. That's essentially what they tried to do last season as well (the Wildcats had the ball […]
The Kentucky Wildcats haven't been shy about publicly sharing their offensive game plan this week for their matchup against the Tennessee Vols on Saturday.
Kentucky's plan seems to be to slow the game down and limit Tennessee's offensive possessions. That's essentially what they tried to do last season as well (the Wildcats had the ball for over 46 minutes but still lost 45-42).
Wildcats quarterback Will Levis alluded to this plan on Tuesday during a media session with reporters.
With Kentucky seemingly going all-in on revealing this as their strategy, it makes me wonder if they have something up their sleeve.
It's possible that UK will try to lure Tennessee into putting more defenders in the box to stop the run and then try to take some shots downfield with Levis (because let's be honest, a team needs some splash plays to compete with the Vols' offense).
To combat this, Tennessee defensive coordinator Tim Banks needs to disguise some of the Vols' defensive looks.
If Tennessee can make Levis think they're coming with pressure or selling out to stop the run, then they might be able to bait him into making some mistakes (Levis is prone to making mistakes as it is).
Essentially, if Banks can give the look of man coverage with the safeties appearing to sell out to stop the run, and then it's really a zone coverage defense, the Vols could prevent some of those splash plays and generate some turnovers.
And if Tennessee generates a few turnovers, this game could out of hand quickly.
Just because the Wildcats are publicly saying they're going to try to go on these long sustained drives doesn't mean that's what they'll actually do. It could just be some gamesmanship on their part. Remember, in every game this season, Tennessee's offense has dictated the way the other team's offense played.
We'll see if that remains the case this week. But if I was Banks and UT's defensive staff, I'd certainly be on guard against a different offensive approach from Kentucky than what many are expecting.
Featured image via Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
