Tennessee 33, Kentucky 27 | Advanced Stats Review

 Five Factor Box Score

The Vols have struggled with PPO and explosiveness in 2023, and those two areas stand out from Saturday night as well. However, the +50% success rate is a fantastic sign, and despite losing the PPO battle, it wasn't by much. Rounding up to 4 rather than down to 3 is a slight improvement from recent weeks. 

Tennessee cried havoc more than the Cats, but just barely. Teams are scheming to slow down UT's pass rush, as it seemed UK was in max protect most of the night. Is there something else slowing down Tennessee's formerly prolific pass rush? 

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Next question. 

Offensive Line Stats

This is the inverse of what happened at Florida. Tennessee has developed from a team that could get a decent push at the line but gained vary little in the open field into a dangerous team when the RBs break into the second level and beyond. I know we all miss the flashiness of last year's aerial assault offense, but you've got to admit watching Jalen Wright running straight through defenders brings a lot of joy as well.  

Player Usage & Predicted Points

The best plan of attack for Tennessee heading into Lexington was to shut down Ray Davis and dare Devin Leary to beat you with his arm. Davis was held under 50 yards rushing on a 2.6 YPC average, netting zero predicted points added for the night. Forcing the game into Leary's hands nearly backfired, however. The NC State transfer had his best game in blue, completing 72% of his passes for 372 yards and 2 TDs while adding 24.8 PPA for the Cats. 

Joe Milton also had a nice game, especially in the 4th quarter when Milton and Dylan Sampson combined to salt the game away for UT with a combined 12.5 PPA. Milton was 6-7 passing for 56 yards with another 19 yards rushing in the 4th, while Sampson had a combined 15 touches on the ground and through the air for 90 yards and a touchdown in the game's final period.