Kentucky heads to Knoxville reeling and banged up, as former Vol Gerald Mincey will miss Saturday’s game after trashing UT all offseason. Star edge rusher J.J. Weaver is out too. That doesn’t mean Tennessee Football can sleepwalk its way through this one. Here are the five key Wildcats for Rocky Top to keep an eye on when the two face off.
5. Alex Afari Jr.
With Weaver out and D’Eryck Jackson out, Kentucky will turn to Jamon Dumas-Johnson and Alex Afari Jr. to shoulder larger roles at linebacker in this game. Dumas-Johnson is the main linebacker, but Afari is the playmaker with eight tackles for a loss. He’s also a coverage linebacker, so he’s the guy who could throw the Vols off their game the most, which is what puts him on this list.
4. Dane Key
Barion Brown is the other offensive weapon at receiver given his threat as a kickoff returner, but Josh Turbyville has been too good on kickoffs, so Brown won’t have many chances there. That means Dane Key makes the list because he’s specifically the threat on offense. Key has 39 catches for 587 yards and two touchdowns, and despite UK’s starting quarterback in question, they’ll try to target him.
3. Demie Sumo
Regardless of whether or not Brock Vandargriff or Gavin Wimsatt gets the start against Tennessee Football, Demie Sumo is going to get a lot of touches. Sumo has 92 carries for 419 yards and four touchdowns to go with 12 catches for 108 yards. The Vols have an elite rush defense, so they should be able to contain him, but he could wear them down if they aren’t careful.
2. Octavius Oxendine
Tre’Vonn Rybka has been the consistent end starter on the line in Mark Stoops’ base 3-4 defense, but with his injuries at linebacker, he’s going to use more ends int his game. That means Octavius Oxendine plays more snaps, and Oxendine is the bigger playmaker, as he has three sacks on the year. Given the way Tennessee Football has struggled at both tackle spots, Oxendine could wreak havoc on them.
1. JQ Hardaway
Eventually, Josh Heupel and Joey Halzle will want to get that Tennessee Football passing game going with Nico Iamaleava. Part of that will be trying to scheme players open, and JQ Hardaway makes that difficult as a lockdown cornerback. For the year, Hardaway already has two interceptions, and he can do a lot for UK’s pass defense, so the Vols have to neutralize him if they can.
