University of Tennessee Athletics
Game Preview: Tennessee vs. Kentucky
November 19, 2007 | Football
Tennessee-Kentucky Series History/Notes
Tennessee leads the all-time series with Kentucky 70-23-9, dating to 1893. The Volunteers have won 22 straight in the series to build the longest active winning streak over a single opponent in NCAA FBS. UT???s 70 wins over the Wildcats are its most over any opponent in the program???s history.
The Big Orange hold a 33-13-3 edge in games played in Lexington. In UT???s last trip to Commonwealth Stadium, on Nov. 26, 2005, the Vols posted a 27-8 victory. Erik Ainge threw for 221 yards and two touchdowns in the win.
Tennessee head coach Phillip Fulmer boasts a 14-0 career record against Kentucky and has beaten the Wildcats more than any other opponent. The Vols under Fulmer have never scored less than 20 points against UK, and Fulmer???s Tennessee squads average 41.9 points per game against the Wildcats. UT averages 33.5 points per game this year.
Kentucky head coach Rich Brooks is 0-4 in his career against the Vols.
Redshirt freshman tight end Luke Stocker is the only player on UT???s 2007 roster who hails from the state of Kentucky. Tennessee running backs coach Kurt Roper coached quarterbacks at Kentucky in 2005. Wildcats quarterbacks coach and recruiting coordinator Randy Sanders lettered at UT from 1985-88 and worked as an assistant with the Vols from 1989-2005. When Tennessee offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe was the head coach at Ole Miss from 1999-2004, current Kentucky defensive line coach Rick Petri was an assistant on Cutcliffe???s staff coaching defensive tackles.
Tennessee???s 1998 national championship season marked the last time the Tennessee-Kentucky game was nationally televised. The game aired on CBS, and the Vols downed the Wildcats 59-21 in Knoxville.
Vols Lead FBS In Sacks Allowed
Tennessee???s offensive line has allowed just three sacks this season, and just two against starting quarterback Erik Ainge.
Overall, the Vols have attempted 406 passes, meaning UT???s opponents are averaging one sack in every 135.3 attempts.
The Big Orange lead the nation (FBS) in sacks allowed, giving up less than a third of a sack per game (0.27).
Prior to a fourth-quarter sack by South Carolina against Ainge back on Oct. 27, the senior had attempted 290 straight passes without being sacked. His only other sack this year came during the season-opener at Cal in what would have been his third attempt of the game/season.
Kentucky ranks tied for 61st nationally and fifth in the SEC with 2.0 sacks per game.
Mayo, McCoy Continue UT Tradition Among SEC Tackles Leaders
As has become an annual tradition, Tennessee once again finds two of its own among the SEC???s top-10 tacklers this season. Junior middle linebacker Jerod Mayo ranks seventh in the conference with 8.5 tackles per game, while sophomore weakside linebacker Rico McCoy ranks ninth with 8.1 stops per game this season. Mayo and McCoy boast 93 and 89 total tackles, respectively. That makes up more than 21 percent of UT???s team total on the year.
Tennessee has had multiple players rank among the SEC???s top-10 tacklers in each of the last three seasons. Mayo and McCoy are seeking to stretch that trend to four consecutive years.
Mayo is coming off a career-best 15-tackle performance against Vanderbilt last Saturday. McCoy logged 11 stops.
Rogan Thriving In Return Role; Named SEC Special Teams Player of Week
Freshman Dennis Rogan has taken over both kickoff- and punt-return duties this season and has demonstrated a knack for creating big plays. His biggest play to date came last weekend on punt return against Vanderbilt that he returned 45 yards into Commodores territory to set up the game-winning score. The Knoxville native averaged 24 yards on three punt returns vs. Vanderbilt and 24.6 yards on three kick returns en route to SEC Special Teams Player of the Week honors.
A week earlier, Rogan returned an Arkansas kickoff 78 yards to set up a Tennessee field goal in the first quarter.
On the season, Rogan is averaging 13 yards per punt return, which is five yards better than the team???s average without him. On kickoffs, Rogan has nine returns for an average of 31.7 yards per return. That mark is nine yards better than the team???s average without him.
2005 Wide Receivers Signees Coming of Age
Tennessee wideouts Josh Briscoe, Austin Rogers and Lucas Taylor were all members of UT???s 2005 signing class. Their collective impact on the Vols??? offense had been minimal prior to this season, but they have been clutch thus far in 2007.
- All three players have already set new career-highs for catches and yards.
- Taylor has 65 catches for 872 yards and four touchdowns this season. The Carencro, La., native is currently third in the SEC with 79.3 receiving yards per game and is third in the SEC averaging 5.9 receptions per game.
- Rogers has 49 catches for 550 yards and three touchdowns this season. The Nashville, Tenn., native averages 50.0 yards per game and ranks eighth in the SEC with 4.5 receptions per game.
- Briscoe has 39 catches for 352 yards and four touchdowns this year. The Shelby, N.C., native averages 3.5 catches per game.
One Win To Atlanta: Vols Control SEC Championship Game Destiny
Though Tennessee and Georgia are still mathematically alive in the race to represent the SEC Eastern Division in the 2007 SEC Championship Game, Tennessee controls its own destiny while UGA does not.
Tennessee owns the head-to-head tiebreaker against Georgia???the only other two-loss team in the East.
Foster On Verge Of First 1,000-Yard Season
Junior tailback Arian Foster???s 100-yard performance against Louisiana-Lafayette on Nov. 3 made him the 12th Vol ever to log 2,000 career rushing yards. He is 11 shy of 1,000 for the season. Foster currently ranks 10th in school history with 2,190 career rushing yards.
Foster is on pace to net 1,168 rushing yards this season. That would give him the ninth-best single-season total in school history.
And should his career average of 66.4 rushing yards hold steady throughout his career, Foster could make a serious run at Travis Henry???s school record of 3,078 career yards (1997-2000).
Berry Generating Freshman All-America Buzz
One of the nation???s most highly sought-after recruits a year ago, true freshman Eric Berry has started all 11 games this season and is currently fifth on the team with 62 tackles after setting a career-high Oct. 27 against South Carolina with 12. Berry leads all SEC freshmen in tackles.
The starting safety also has added a big-play element to UT???s defense. Berry???s 96-yard interception return for a touchdown at Florida tied for the third longest in the history of Tennessee football. It was the longest by a Vol since Art Reynolds returned an interception 96 yards against Memphis State in 1972.
Berry???s 52-yard fumble return to set up a first-and-goal against South Carolina was the longest fumble return by a Vol since Julian Battle rumbled 81 yards for a touchdown at Notre Dame in 2001.
Berry also had interception returns of 61 and 37 yards against Arkansas on his way to SEC Freshman of the Week honors.
Berry???s 207 interception return yards leads the country this season and are also a school record, topping the previous mark of 177 yards set by Bobby Majors in 1970.
The SEC record for interception return yardage in a season is 244 yards by Florida???s Joe Brodsky in 1956 (on five INTs). LSU???s Greg Jackson stands in second place with 219 yards in 1988 (on seven INTs).
The NCAA single-season record is held by Southern California???s Charles Phillips, who totaled 302 yards on seven returns in 1974.
Big Orange Tailgate Tour Hits Lexington
UT alumni, fans and friends are invited to join the Tennessee Alumni Association for another ???Big Orange Tailgate Tour??? stop next Saturday in Lexington.
E.S. Good Barn, an indoor venue at 1451 University Dr., across the street from Commonwealth Stadium, is this week???s site from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Eastern time. Look for the orange and white, and follow it to the official UT alumni tailgate-party.
There will be a full lunch buffet, along with plenty of Rocky Top and fun for the entire family.
Participants can look forward to listening to the UT Pride of the Southland Band, cheerleaders and a special appearance by Smokey! Door prizes will be given away every 15 minutes. Everyone who pre-registers will have the opportunity to win a Phillip Fulmer autographed football.
Cost is $15 for adults and $8 for children ages 3-12. Pre-registration is strongly recommended, as there are a limited number of walk-up food tickets available. Pre-registration ends Wednesday.
To pre-register or for more information, please click here or call the Tennessee Alumni Association office at (865) 974-3011 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Eastern time.
