Adams: UT, Kentucky treading on similar path

Few football programs have been as far apart as Tennessee and Kentucky for the last quarter of a century. The disparity is as obvious as the head-to-head results.

UT is the 24-0 program. UK is the 0-24 program.

In those 24 years, UT had two different head coaches; UK had five. In those 24 years, UT won nine or more games 17 times; UK lost eight or more seven times.

The rivalry was at its worst — or best, depending on your side — in the late 1990s. From 1996 through 2000, the only question: Would the Vols score 56 or 59? They won consecutive games by scores of 56-10, 59-31, 59-21, 56-21, and 59-20.

But for all the differences, the similarities will come to mind Saturday night when the teams meet at Commonwealth Stadium. The streak might be intact, but neither the Vols nor the Wildcats are what they used to be.

Kentucky’s Senior Night will underscore the transformation.

Wildcats fourth-year seniors will enter their last game with 30 career victories and three bowl trips. UT fourth-year seniors will enter the game with 30 victories and two bowl trips.

Who could have seen that coming five years ago? The Vols finished the 2004 season 10-3 and, with a large majority of starters returning, were expected to contend for the national championship in 2005. Conversely, the Wildcats had just gone 2-9 under second-year head coach Rich Brooks.

The same Rich Brooks, who was on the brink of being fired a year later, is now an established SEC coach with two dazzling rebuilding jobs on his resume, first at Oregon, and now at Kentucky. And UT’s Lane Kiffin is the first-time head college coach who is just getting started.

Brooks’ success can be measured in bowls as well as victories. Not only is he the first coach to win 30 games in four years at Kentucky since Bear Bryant in the 1950s, he’s headed for his fourth consecutive bowl game.

That’s four bowls in four years for a program that had played in 10 bowls all-time before Brooks arrived.

You also can judge Kentucky’s improvement by how many close games it has played and won.

In the last four years, Kentucky is 15-10 in games decided by single-digit margins. In the previous four years, it was 4-10 in games decided by single-digit margins.

This team’s 7-4 record has been achieved despite significant attrition.

Jeremy Jarmon, the team’s best defensive lineman, was ruled ineligible by the NCAA before the season. All-SEC cornerback Trevard Lindley has missed four games with an ankle injury. Starting quarterback Mike Hartline is out for the season with a knee injury.

UT can relate to that. The Vols seemingly lose a linebacker a week to injury, and the position was woefully lacking in experience before the injuries.

Both teams are tougher than they are talented. And both teams have proved their toughness on the road — Kentucky, by beating both Auburn and Georgia; UT, by playing close games against unbeaten Florida and Alabama.

Kentucky has been clutch as well as tough in its biggest victories. It was dominated statistically in falling behind Georgia by 14 points at halftime Saturday but rallied for a 34-27 victory. Last month, another fourth-quarter comeback enabled the Wildcats to win at Auburn.

Both victories ended losing streaks. Kentucky had lost 15 consecutive games to Auburn and 15 consecutive games to Georgia in Athens.

A greater streak is on the line Saturday. And it’s big enough to motivate both teams.

But when you look past the streak, you just have two middle-of-the-road SEC teams jockeying for bowl position and trying to win their 31st game in four years.

Sports editor John Adams may be reached at 865-342-6284 or adamsj@knoxnews.com.