Event Details
- What: Tennessee vs Kentucky Wildcats
- When: Saturday, Nov. 28, 2009, 7 p.m.
- Where: Commonwealth Stadium
- Cost: Not available
- Age limit: All ages
Tennessee Stat Book
Kentucky stat box
Elite receivers are no problem in the passing game.
Traditional offenses have almost no chance at success.
Even injuries have largely been unable to slow down the Tennessee defense.
But there's one glaring weakness for the Vols heading into the regular-season finale at Kentucky, and it's not exactly a secret. If UT is going to win on Saturday (TV: ESPNU, 7 p.m.), it's going to have to stop the Wildcats in the wildcat.
"We've struggled at times with it this season," UT coach Lane Kiffin said. "Alabama did well with it against us, and obviously Ole Miss with Dexter (McCluster), so we worked on it all last week as well anticipating we were going to see some of it last week, which we didn't.
"We'll continue to work on it this week, and it's our No. 1 priority to stop."
How exactly the Vols (6-5, 3-4 SEC) plan on doing it remains a mystery, but they've given a number of different reasons why they've had such a hard time against it.
Kiffin has pointed out the challenges the single-wing style presents to a one-gap defense like UT's.
Linebacker Rico McCoy called it less about scheme and more of a mental adjustment. Safety Eric Berry went the other way and indicated the Vols were thinking too much about it.
But at it's simplest, whether it was Tim Tebow at Florida, Alabama's Mark Ingram or McCluster, the offenses that had the most success against UT had incredible athletes taking the snap. And the Wildcats (7-4, 3-4) have one more to throw at the Vols in Alcoa product Randall Cobb.
"The hardest thing to defend is if the guy can throw the ball," Kiffin said. "If the guy taking the shotgun can really throw the ball really well, now you've got a lot of problems. When they take the quarterback out and they come out wide, it's not as hard, but it's still difficult because there's an extra gap.
"When you practice all the time for years, your team practices against normal plays with a guy under center and normal quarterback plays. Now all of a sudden within a week you have to get ready for something completely different. It changes all your fits, it changes all your roles, and I think teams that are really disciplined with their defensive fits and play one-gap football like we do struggle the most against it."
The Vols aren't likely to perform a complete overhaul of a successful defense to address one real shortcoming, but they're also aware it could perhaps use some tinkering.
What exactly that might mean this week has been kept under wraps by Kiffin, though it could include some new looks in the secondary. The Vols have never hesitated to move around Berry or use him against the run, and with safety Janzen Jackson back after missing the last three games, they could be free to get even more creative again.
"Right now, (defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin) is putting in a new type of plan," Berry said. "It's kind of simplifying it for us and making sure everyone just understands, 'You're in this gap, you're in this gap, you're in contain.' He's really just breaking it down so we don't have to do too much thinking on the Wildcat.
"(Stopping it), it's just all types of stuff. It's like so many keys are going on in that one play, you just really have to settle down and pay attention to the right stuff."
The Vols have clearly given it all their attention this week. The first step was merely identifying there was a problem.
© 2009, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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Comments » 31
rudy123 writes:
I will say it again! I am feeling nervous about this game! The "Cats" want this game and they
are somewhat confident. They feel they can exploit us because of our injuries and will use the "Mildcat" in an effort to do it.
Our offense must score quickly and often and
special teams needs to at its best.
Ringside writes:
People thought they would get us last year, but it did not happen. This KY team seems more solid.
Could be a challenge , but I think our vols will fight their hardest in the fourth. Don't give up on them.
Happy Thanksgiving
Blitz
Kissimmee, FL
Waldorf writes:
Go to a base 4-3, walk up the SS to help on the weak side, and play a cover 3. I don't understand why you would attack it any other way, especially if the "QB" isn't that great at throwing the ball.
SEAL_9821 writes:
I think the key is controlling the clock. Get the defense off the field and run the ball down their throats. They have not stopped the run all year. Protect the ball and score early.
V_O_L_S_GO_VOLS_GO writes:
The thing about the Wildcat is that whomever is playing "QB" has an extra blocker in the RB position. This is the only, and I repeat ONLY reason that Teblow has broken the SEC touchdown record. When you're that big and athletic and and have an extra blocker, nearly anything's possible.
I'm not taking up for him, but hypothetically and for sh*ts and giggles, what IF Herschel Waker had remained at UGA for his senior year? The TD record would probably be still WAY out of Teabag's grasp. And, Teblow's also taken 4 years to get it with a hellvua lot of short 1 to 2 yard punches in the end-zone. No wildcat was run back in the 80s.
I just think that his TD record is over-rated. Makes me wanna put an asterisk (*) next to the number, kinda like what was done with Roger Maris's homerun record. I'm just sayin'.... :)
orangepridenation writes:
well, by no means am i saying this will be an easy game. but i mean, kentucky's defense is no where near as good as ole miss's defense, so i really don't see us losing, i mean we do have quite an offense that can go down the field in a matter of seconds. and lets face, other than mccluster, have we really struggled that bad against the spread?? the gators didn't do much against us, and with the exception of just a couple of runs, the tide didn't do much against us, and keep in mind, we were playing at ole miss, two days after the arrests, so you know it had to effect the team's performance...in fact, it's almost a certainty. now we have jackson back, johnson is back, so i'm not really buying into this whole "trap game" thing. i think the vols win no question. 35-20 UT.
TurboFan writes:
Auburn - we couldn't even slow 'em down long enough to get the license plate.
As for Ky's defense being not as good as anyone else. Their offense gets the ball after every one of our possessions/scores. Our defense has to stop them at least one more time than their defense stops ours.
grvol writes:
Just tackle the SOB that takes the snap!
tbmccord#279221 writes:
A loss here means I get to see the Music City Bowl while visiting in Nashville. A win means I have to veer off the Austin to Nashville to Chattanooga to Austin trip and drive all the way down to Atlanta or Tampa... Please... Please make me drive farther!!!
asleep#212036 writes:
Kentucky's offense is nowhere near as stout as was Auburn's when they played us. They don't have a qb who can throw as well as Todd and they don't have a rb who is as physical as Tate. Kentucky does not have the athletes of Auburn, Florida, or Ole Miss so although they will run a wildcat formation, we should have a better chance of stopping it both from an athletic standpoint as well as having seen it 3 times already. We'll see but I still say we own them and they know it. I hope I'm right yet again. Go Vols!!!
miketnvolsfan writes:
TENNESSEE STOPING THE WILDKAT ? CANT WAIT TO SEE WHAT MK DREW UP FOR THIS 1 HOPEFULLY NOT THE SAME PLAN THEY HAD FOR OLE MISS AND AUBURN ...GOOD LUCK GO VOLS
beachvol1 writes:
Monte has not figured out the spread all yr and nothing says he will this time either....hate it but he never has seen this type of offense in the NFL and hasn't figured it out....like previous posts, if the Vols don't tackle, then Cobb will get his revenge...just like McCluster did....
rockytopatl writes:
This string isn't about Tebow, but since you're talking about him and his touchdown record, I will too.
Tebow got an extra game (or two) each of his four years that Herschel didn't have in his three. Walker, by the way, would have left quite a mark in the NFL had he not wasted those three years in the USFL out of Georgia.
A prediction: Tebow will not be a significant professional player, at least at the quarterback position.
seventysevenvol writes:
Still hung up on Florida, huh? Silly me, I thought this article was about Kentucky.
cloudodust writes:
Remember what LSU did to GT's vaulted multi option run game in the Peach Filet bowl last year..? It can be done. It will be done.
jphilli5#240013 writes:
Like the Bear once said, "Its all about blocking and tackling". i have observed this year, that on a given day in a "GIVEN GAME", all running backs in the league are virtually equal to their task at hand. Otherwise. I concede that it goes back to blocking and tackling.
I bleed orange, and being same, respect Kentucky and the history and results from the rivalry. They are tuff, I say a vol get his teeth knocke out from blocking a Blue field goal inside the 15. Iif they feel it and play hard as they ever played, and come to win, they are tuff as hell to beat. Been there seen that. But, so can be the vols, when feeling the team "TEAM", buys into the game. May the best prepared, fired up, fundementally solid team win tommorrow. And I know which team that it is, I hereby, relay predict, and prognosticate is ;
"THE BIG ORANGE!"...
UT 24 - KY 19 Wrie it down from a West Tennessee alumnus...VOL NUT!
Happy Thanksgiving Big Orange and Big Blue.
bigorange61 writes:
You can't just key on Cobb because Locke is their leader in total offense and all purpose yards.
tweetdriver63#346474 writes:
Sorry, but McCluster is a lot better runner than Cobb. Also, we were facing Ole Miss without Jackson (who is the guy responsible for preventing the big plays) and with Lathers in his first start against a real offense. I was at that game, and I couldn't count how many times Ole Miss' offense lined up and was ready to snap the ball, while our defense was moving around trying to get into the right allignment, which they often weren't in when the ball was snapped. There were a lot of allignment problems, and remember it's the MLB's job to get them in the right allignment.
The good things going for us this week are that Jackson is back, and Lathers and CMK have more experience with this type offense under their belts. If CMK's got Lathers up to speed on getting everybody in the right play, we'll be OK.
Orangeblood13 writes:
they are still Kentucky and we are Tennessee
we will TCB
CadmiumOchre (Inactive) writes:
Slightly modified prediction. Vols come out with Crompton slinging leather. If we lead or are close by half time, 2nd half Kiffin will use every RB we have to wear down the Cat defense. The ones that haven't played much have something to prove. We have a fine selection of bullish, slashing, and shifty backs. If CLK is smart he will design a game plan and rotate those backs to force Ky to have to constantly deal with the variation of running styles and basically muck up their defense game plan. If Kif does this, expect 40+ point production from the Vols.
Defense?
1. Despite down playing it, Berry wants that record. He's going to get it.
2. Jackson is going to get an interception (possibly 2) as well. Eventually, Jackson, not Berry will get a serious piece of Cobb and the boy won't be the same for the rest of the game.
3. This looks like a 51 - 41 game and if Crompton is on, we're 51.
516milesfromUT writes:
BB#11 will have a shot at this record. by doing it the real way, slobbernockin, hard running.
UTmama writes:
I BELIEVE! I BELIEVE IN THESE PLAYERS AND I BELIEVE IN THESE COACHES! GO GET 'EM!
GO VOLS!
tonyvick#213307 writes:
Yes it's simple stop whomever has the ball!
BolivarBob writes:
the Cats are good. Will be a tough game.
Give'em Hell Tennessee
Beat Tuckyhoe!
Tennessee 49
Kentucky 21
CoachFulmer writes:
25 years straight. Welcome to one of the traditions here at UT Coach Kiffin.
cardinalvol writes:
We keep forgetting about our offence and thier inability to stop the run! Also, what are they going to do, run the wildcat every play? They still are fielding a true freshman QB that will make mistakes!
UT 34 KY 14
beachvol1 writes:
Don't care what you say, Cobb is dangerous as almost any(outside McCluster and Ingram) that we have seen...Monte needs to get a grip on the spread and defend it...if not, everybody will be throwing it at us....this Kentucky team believes they can win and are on a mission....this won't be easy...mark it down...
GainesvilleVol1 writes:
First things first. Happy Thanksgiving to all! Now, I would put Eric Berry on Cobb on every play! It worked on Tebow, and Ky does not have the weapons that UF does. I look for a solid ground game, eat up the clock, and a close victory!
GO VOLS!!!
movol53 writes:
I find it somewhat ironic that before the 1960's UT made it's living using the single-wing (we were one of the last teams to stop using it)and our defense then practiced against it everyday. Now these "wildcat" type offenses are nothing more than a variation of the single wing and no one knows how to stop it consistently. Vols will win if Crompton is on or we use every running back we have to run the clock and wear them down and keep their offense off the field. As always in the SEC this game will be a war; at least for two or three quarters.
steamboatticket#484773 writes:
Tennessee Volunteer Beloveds, Repectables, and Celestials...the key to winning victory in Lexington is in our pocket. Our offensive players and our defensive players hold the key. Although unwholesome folk have taken the keg of victory from the field, although they may have subjected the keg to unspeakable sacrilege after drainng its hallowed dregs, although we know not its whereabouts...I urge and implore our Volunteers to fight valiantly and win this game! Pursuant to the original intercollegiate sportsmen code of codes circa 1901, "No college shall withold a symbol of victory to the winning players on a level playing field at the conclusion of any game." Well, everybody knows that Tennessee holds the Barrel. We are honor bond and legal-wise bond to produce that Barrel on the field this Saturday. If we don't, then right-thinking people throughout America may question our American heritage and values, and they may conclude that we suck. I'm against that. No way can I support that. Wherever the Barrel may be, we must locate it and produce it at the game in Lexington. Please correct me if I am wrong, but I just do not see any two ways about it.
steamboatticket#484773 writes:
And do please forgive my falling back upon early English, when bond was commonly spelled bond and not bound as we teach it or not today. My points are the following:
1) Tennessee must win in Lexington.
2) Tennessee is bond to produce the however besmirched, much coveted, hallowed and hollowed Keg...or word may spread like wildfire that we suck.
3) Tennessee is likewise bond to deliver said Keg well-filled with premium lager for the victorious players, or word may spread like wildfire that we suck.
3) Points two and three are unacceptable!
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