KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee entered Saturday needing to win their final three games against Kentucky, Missouri and at Vanderbilt to have a chance at securing a spot in the SEC championship game, along with a Florida loss to either South Carolina or at LSU.

The Vols took the first step in trying to reclaim power in the SEC East by taking care of business against Kentucky, 49-36.

Joshua Dobbs and Alvin Kamara topped 100 yards rushing, and John Kelly finished with 93.

What I Liked

The perseverance of Kamara and Cam Sutton to battle back from injury and make it back and play against Kentucky. Sutton made an impact in the first half by making a third down stop after a Tennessee penalty that gave Kentucky life on a drive when the game was tied at 7.

Kamara was presence in the ground game all day. After being out since the Alabama game, Kamara received the start over the up-and-coming John Kelly. The duo was a one-two tandem like they were at Texas A&M. Kamara rushed for 128 yards and scored two touchdowns while Kelly totaled 93 rushing yards.

What makes the Tennessee offense go is the ability to run quarterback Josh Dobbs to keep defenses off-balance. A good wrinkle to help limit Dobbs’ carries and keeping him fresh was having wide receiver and former quarterback Jauan Jennings run out of the wildcat package. It will be interesting to see if this package is used more in the final two regular season games.

Another wrinkle that was good to see from the Tennessee offense was utilizing freshman Tyler Byrd’s speed with a 44-yard screen pass in the first half. Getting the use out of Byrd’s speed can be another element that can help improve Team 120’s offense.

A bright spot on the defensive side of the ball was red-zone defense for Tennessee. Kentucky was held to only 16 points in the red zone in five opportunities.

What I Didn’t Like

Tennessee’s rush defense was horrendous against Kentucky. Coming into the game, opponents were averaging 194.9 rushing yards per game against the Vols (88th nationally). Against Kentucky, the Vols’ defense gave 194 rushing yards to the Wildcats in the first half and 443 in the game.

Another element to Team 120 that needs to be addressed is the inconsistency in the play-calling and running Kamara and Kelly. The two backs moved the ball early in the first quarter and then offensive coordinator Mike DeBord went away from the run game, allowing for a stagnant offense and for Kentucky to get back into the game with the Vols’ offense not scoring any points.

The Vols eventually went back to Kamara and Kelly and the two helped open up the offense. The duo of Kamara and Kelly will be key down-the-stretch if Tennessee wants to finish as SEC East champions.

The Vols also need to be more disciplined in the final two games. Tennessee committed nine penalties against the Wildcats.

Who’s the Man

Josh Dobbs continues to show his importance within the Tennessee offense. Is he the best passer? No. But the senior quarterback showed once again why his legs are important in the offense. Dobbs’ running ability helped Tennessee take a lead after falling behind 7-0 in the first quarter. His ground game also helped open up the passing game and connecting on touchdown passes with Josh Smith, Ethan Wolf and Josh Malone.

Dobbs has now produced 76 total touchdowns in 34 games during his tenure at Tennessee. The senior quarterback threw three touchdowns and rushed for two against Kentucky.

Up Next

For the Vols, it’s continuing to play themselves back into the SEC East title picture. Florida travels to LSU for what would appear to be a loss-in-waiting for the Gators and a chance for Tennessee to reclaim the top position in the SEC East.

Of course, the Vols will have to take care of Missouri which is slated for the CBS 3:30 pm ET game next week, which will kickoff after the 1 PM ET kick for LSU and Florida.

The Vols could know roughly at the kickoff of the Missouri game, or shortly after, if the Gators fall to the Tigers and give Team 120 life again in making a trip to Atlanta on December 3 for a chance to win the SEC championship.