Vols Must Rebound on the Road Against Kentucky

(utsports.com) – No. 17/17 Tennessee heads back on the road for the second straight week, traveling north to face Kentucky under the lights of Kroger Field on Saturday night. Kickoff is slated for 7:45 p.m. ET on SEC Network.

The Volunteers aim to close the month of October with a winning record and secure bowl eligibility for a fifth consecutive season, a feat last accomplished from 2000-04. Saturday’s game marks the 121st meeting in the border rivalry and the seventh straight night matchup in Lexington dating back to 2013.

Head coach Josh Heupel holds a perfect 4-0 record against the Wildcats during his tenure on Rocky Top, and the Vols own a 12-2 record following a loss under Heupel, including 1-0 this year.

Heupel opened his Monday press conference by stressing the importance of learning from last week’s loss and quickly shifting focus toward another physical rivalry matchup.

“Obviously everybody is disappointed with the outcome from the other day, but whether you win or lose, you have to flip it forward, watch the video and learn from it,” Heupel said. “That’s what we have to do this week, getting ready to go play in a border war game, rivalry game. You look at these games historically, they’ve been really tight. We’re playing a really good football team … another test inside of this league, on the road against a good football team.”

The Vols face a Kentucky team coming off an overtime loss to Texas and seeking its first home win over Tennessee since 2017. Heupel said success away from Neyland Stadium starts with the fundamentals and staying poised through momentum swings.

“I think it starts with the everyday ordinary things,” Heupel said. “Communication, not having pre-snap penalties, that’s where it starts on the offensive side of the football … The momentum swings that naturally occur, being able to settle in mentally, physically and emotionally and go play the next play.”