Kentucky Wildcats Football: 2012 Game Previews and Predictions
November 3rd: Kentucky Wildcats vs. Vanderbilt Commodores
Vanderbilt 2011 record- 6-7, 2-6 in the SEC, 0-3 against the top 25. Lost the AutoZone Liberty Bowl against Cincinnati.
Preview: It was a dream season for the Commodores as James Franklin brought hope and change to Nashville as well as a bowl game. Vandy is boasting a top 20 recruiting class for 2013 as of right now and all of the momentum seems to be going their way. Now it’s time to play some football. Jordan Rodgers (Aaron’s little brother) returns from last season as the starter. He threw for 1,524 yards, 9 touchdowns and 1o interceptions. The best player on offense is senior running back Zac Stacy. Stacy ran for 1, 193 yards and 13 touchdowns. The Commodores’ success was mostly hype as they really didn’t pull off a signature upset. Kentucky has been putting up records comparable to Vandy’s 2011 season for years.
Prediction- Vanderbilt comes back to earth in 2012. They start off with #9 South Carolina and it doesn’t get any easier from there. Kentucky played a dud of a game in Nashville in 2011 and will be looking for some big pay back. Look for the ‘Cats to cruise in Commonwealth 24-10.
November 17th: Kentucky Wildcats vs. Samford Bulldogs
Samford 2011 record- 6-5, 4-4 in the Southern Conference
Preview: The Bulldogs play in the FCS Division I. They finished fifth in their conference. The Bulldogs had a rough season and did not make they playoffs. They did play Auburn at the end of the season and lost 34-16.
Prediction- OK, this is a gimme game. This should be a walk in the park as Kentucky prepares for their final match up against Tennessee. Kentucky 42-Samford 17.
November 24th: Kentucky Wildcats at Tennessee Volunteers
2011 Tennessee record- 5-7, 1-7 in the SEC, 0-5 against the top 25.
Preview: The Derek Dooley tenure in Knoxville has been rife with disappointment and controversy. He was not even on the radar after Lane Kiffin’s exit, but there wasn’t a big time coach willing to step into the mess Kiffin left. Dooley helmed an almost historically bad season as the Volunteer faithful saw their glory days definitively go up in smoke. Even though the Vols faltered, many preseason rankings have them just outside the top 25. They must be looking at Tyler Brey’s decent but injury riddled season as justification. But, UT was ranked near the bottom of every statistical category and the dismissal of Da’Rick Rogers as the top receiver does not help their cause for convincing me that they will be that much better of a football team. Don’t forget, they were defeated by a wide receiver running the quarterback position exclusively for the first time in his college career.
Prediction- Tennessee will be out for blood and Neyland Stadium will be rocking with over 100,000 rowdy Volunteer fans frothing at the mouth to avenge last seasons loss to the Wildcats. Or will it be? By this time Dooley may not even be the coach and the team could be demoralized after another bad year. The Vols are unstable at best. Kentucky continues their winning streak with an 21-18 win to seal Dooley’s fate if it has not already been decided.
Final Synopsis:
2012 Overall Record- 7-5
SEC Record- 4-4
Record Against the preseason top 25- 1-4
Bowl Game Appearance- Yes