‘I think they steal this one’ – ESPN’s Cole Cubelic details how he sees the Kentucky vs Tennessee game playing out
The Tennessee Volunteers and the Kentucky Wildcats are set to play in what might be the biggest game in the history of this rivalry.
One of the biggest games of the weekend is the matchup in Knoxville between No. 13 Tennessee and No. 6 Kentucky.
The Vols need to win this game to keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive.
Kentucky only has one loss this season, but this is a game they need in order to strengthen their résumé.
Suffice it to say, it’s a huge game for both programs.
ESPN’s Cole Cubelic makes his final score prediction for Kentucky vs Tennessee
ESPN’s Cole Cubelic, someone who I think is one of the best X’s and O’s analysts in the business, shared his thoughts Thursday on how this matchup could play out.
Cubelic has Tennessee “stealing one” and winning 24-21.
He thinks the Wildcats will be able to handle the Vols’ rushing attack, but he ultimately thinks the Neyland effect will be too much for Kentucky to overcome.
“I think the Kentucky defense is going to be better suited to deal with the Tennessee run game,” said Cubelic. “So Tennessee is going to have to throw their way out of it at some point to win this game.
“I’m most concerned about the operation (of Kentucky’s offense), and having (center) Coleton Price is going to help, but Neyland Stadium is going to be obnoxiously loud. It is going to be on tilt. I have zero doubt about that. This is a rivalry game, the playoffs are on the line — we know what it means. We know what it is. It’s going to be absurd [in Neyland]. That being said, keep in mind this is an offense that they (Kentucky) get out of the huddle quickly — sugar huddle, muddle huddle, half huddle — and get to the line of scrimmage. They look over (to the sideline), motion, shift, line people up in different places, pre-snap movement. All of those things are important with how this Kentucky offense operates. If that’s disrupted and the snap counts are disrupted, how effective is the Kentucky offense? Because of all that, I think Tennessee sneaks one out. I’m going to take Tennessee 24-21. I think they steal this one at home in a really good football game.
Tennessee is actually favored by 6.5 points, but Kentucky is still the higher ranked team.
The Vols and the Wildcats will kick off at 6:15 PM ET on Saturday. The game will air on ESPN.
