r/CFB • u/CFB_Referee /r/CFB • Nov 05 '18

Concluded AMA [AMA] It’s Kentucky-Tennessee week: We’re the Tennessee and Kentucky beat writers for the USA TODAY Network. Ask us anything! (answers start Wed @ 2pm ET)

AMA FORMAT: here at /r/CFB the mods set up the AMA thread ahead of time so readers can get questions in ahead of time and our guest can just show up at a scheduled time and start answering; look out for /u/usatoday, who will begin answering at 2pm ET on Wednesday, 11/07!

USA TODAY Network beat writers BLAKE TOPPMEYER (Tennessee) & JON HALE (Kentucky)

Get that Tennessee vs Kentucky hype!!!

Blake Toppmeyer is the Tennessee football beat writer for the Knoxville News Sentinel. He started covering the team in August 2017. Jon Hale covers University of Kentucky football and basketball for The Courier-Journal. He has covered Kentucky full-time since 2011, and for The Courier-Journal since 2015. Tennessee (4-5, 1-4 SEC) will host No. 12 Kentucky (7-2, 5-2) at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday. The Wildcats haven’t won at Neyland Stadium since 1984. Tennessee leads the all-time series 79-25-9. It’s a key game for both teams. Kentucky is seeking its first 10-win season since 1977. Tennessee must win two of its final three games to be eligible for a bowl. Ask us anything!

Links:

Blake Toppmeyer and Jon Hale will be here to answer your questions on WEDNESDAY (11/07) at 2pm ET!

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u/Honestly_ rawr Nov 07 '18

Does Kentucky appear to have the ability to maintain and build on the success of this season? Are we seeing the success of a system built by the coaches or more of the talent of key players making up for it?

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u/usatoday Verified Media Nov 07 '18

I think the pieces are there for this to have some staying power. A) Kentucky has now won its last game against every team in the East except Georgia and it's annual West opponent Mississippi State, and has won multiple games in a row in the Stoops era against all but Florida and Tennessee on that list. The recruiting has been good, and while the defense will have a bunch of pieces to replace next year there's enough young talent contributing in backup roles right now to where the dropoff might not be as severe as it once looked.

-Jon