Tennessee's Jalen Hurd (1) is forced out-of-bounds by Alabama's Dillon Lee (25).FRESH LOOKWith just three weeks left in the regular season, there are five freshmen in the top 20 in the SEC in rushing yards per game. Here's a look at their numbers this season:Nick Chubb (Georgia): 133 carries, 895 yards and 7 TDs; 13 catches for 129 yards and 2 TDsRalph Webb (Vanderbilt): 185 carries, 838 yards and 3 TDs; 8 catches for 27 yardsLeonard Fournette (LSU): 152 carries, 736 yards and 7 TDs; 7 catches for 127 yardsJalen Hurd (Tennessee): 134 carries, 598 yards and 2 TDs; 26 catches for 166 yards and 2 TDsStanley "Boom" Williams (Kentucky): 52 carries, 361 yards and 3 TDs; 14 catches for 149 yards and 1 TDGames played: Fournette and Webb 10, Hurd and Chubb 9, Williams 8.
KENTUCKY (5-5, 2-5 SEC) AT TENNESSEE (4-5, 1-4)4 p.m. * Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, Tenn. * SEC Network/106.5 FMTHE MATCHUPHow important was the open date to Tennessee's defense? The Vols allowed 110 points and 1,477 yards in their last three games before the break, and Kentucky's offense is capable of chewing up yards and putting up points with big plays. With almost no depth, Tennessee looked tired heading into the open date, particularly in the front seven, and communication issues have been popping up, too.The Wildcats are among the national leaders in big plays, and Tennessee's coaches noted how much Kentucky has upgraded its speed at the skill positions under second-year coach Mark Stoops. However, the Wildcats have struggled offensively on the road, averaging 114 yards less in their three road games at Florida (fourth in the SEC in total defense), LSU (third) and Missouri (sixth).Can the 'Cats reverse that trend, or will the chance to catch its breath help Tennessee's defense play like it did in the first half of the season?ONE TO WATCHFor the last two weeks, Tennessee quarterback Josh Dobbs has been hearing good he is, how he's turned around the Vols' season and how he's the future of the program.Make no mistake, he deserves the praise after accounting for 734 yards and seven touchdowns since taking over and becoming the first Tennessee quarterback to throw for 300 yards and run for 100 yards in a single game and leading the Vols to the improbable rally against a bad South Carolina defense in Columbia.Dobbs has heard less praise from Vols coach Butch Jones and offensive coordinator Mike Bajakian, who have been on him to be more consistent and become an even better player."It's our job as coaches to push," Jones said. "Josh is one of those individuals you really don't need to push, but you still do it anyways because that's your job. He continues to develop and grow, and he knows when he mistakes and he's eager to correct them."IN THE ENDSecond-year coaches Stoops and Jones have Kentucky and Tennessee on similar rebuilding paths that have been aided by solid recruiting. Regardless of the future trajectories of the two programs, the two particularly teams are heading in different directions.The Vols are riding a wave of momentum from the comeback in Columbia and should be rested after last week's open date, while the Wildcats have lost their last four games -- three were to top-20 teams -- by a combined score of 169-75 after starting 5-1 and are playing their eighth game in as many weeks.The stakes are high with postseason play within reach. At home off an open date, this is a game Tennessee should win, but Kentucky is good enough to make the Vols work for it.PREDICTION: TENNESSEE 31, KENTUCKY 21
KNOXVILLE - Through 160 combined rushing attempts and receptions and the wear and tear of two-plus months as a Southeastern Conference running back, Jalen Hurd insists he's feeling fresh.
That's a good sign for Tennessee's offense heading into a three-game stretch with plenty at stake.
Slowed by a shoulder injury last month, the freshman tailback bounced back with two of his better performances of the season and could be in line for another heavy workload when the Volunteers host Kentucky today.
"I really expected myself to feel like this, to be honest with you," Hurd said this week. "I didn't expect to get injured or anything like that. After the shoulder injury I was just like, 'All right, this has got to be my last one, so I've got to take care of my body.'"
After a three-game stretch in October when the 6-foot-3, 221-pound former five-star recruit received just 25 carries, Hurd's usage rate increased against Alabama and South Carolina. He turned 22 touches (16 carries and six catches) into 86 yards against the Crimson Tide. At South Carolina, Hurd had 28 touches (21 and seven) for 183 total yards.
Hurd looked spry in both games, and now he's had a week off from the beating SEC running backs take to rest and recuperate heading into the season's final three games.
"I think Jalen's done a really good job of doing the little things after practice," Vols running backs coach Robert Gillespie said. "Cold tubs, icing -- he's the last person in the weight room every day. I think he's done a really good job. He hasn't hit that freshman wall, because he really does a good job.
"(Strength) Coach (Dave) Lawson and those guys in the weight room do a good job of making those guys understand how to prepare for a long season, and he's done a good job of that so far."
Hurd admitted he was hoping to have more than 1,000 rushing yards this season, and based on the tone of his voice when he talked about it, he has conceded he won't get there. That shouldn't take away from how well the freshman has played this season. He's fourth in the SEC among freshmen in rushing yards per game, and he leads the conference in receptions among running backs with 26, four better than South Carolina's Mike Davis.
Though he's averaged only 6 yards per reception, Hurd is Tennessee's third-leading receiver in total catches.
"We'd like to have that from the running back position," offensive coordinator Mike Bajakian said. "He definitely possesses that skill. He's well-rounded. He can obviously run the football, he's very good in pass protection and he's effective as a receiver out of the backfield. When you can be multidimensional, it causes the defense to have to prepare for more things."
Hurd has 598 rushing yards, a number that suffered when his injury limited him to 12 carries for 46 yards against Florida and UT-Chattanooga last month, so it would take some impressive performances for him to become the 18th 1,000-yard rusher in Tennessee history. Jamal Lewis is the only tailback in program history to run for 1,000 yards as a true freshman.
"I was definitely aiming higher to get more, but you always have really high expectations for yourself," Hurd said.
"If it happens, it happens," he added. "I'm definitely going to try to do it. But my most important priority right now is us getting a bowl game."
Another game would make Hurd's goal more realistic, but Gillespie said he and his freshman don't spend much time talking about 1,000-yard seasons or worrying about accolades, such as making the SEC's All-Freshman team.
"I think that's every back's goal, and the offensive linemen always want a guy that they can say is a thousand-yard rusher, but we just have to look up at the end of the season and see what happens," he said. "Obviously the wins are the most important thing, and that's something, honestly, he hasn't talked about, nor I have. We don't talk about those things.
"We just want to do whatever we have to do statistically to win the game."
In Tennessee's best offensive performances this season, Hurd has been involved heavily. In the four games in which he has 20 or more touches, the Vols have averaged 461 yards per game, which includes 645 at South Carolina two weeks ago. Tennessee averaged 292 yards of offense in the six games in which Hurd got fewer than 20 touches.
Gillespie said Hurd "wants to play every snap" and that the Vols prepare him every week to handle the volume of plays he could get in the last three games.
"We've got a tough three-game stretch here where they're all must-wins," Gillespie said, "and he's going to have to come up big."
Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.