KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Heart-broken Kentucky never had a chance against No.1 Tennessee.
Fullback Shawn Bryson ran for two touchdowns, including a 58-yarder in a24-point second period, as the Volunteers overwhelmed the emotionally-drainedWildcats 59-21 on Saturday at Neyland Stadium.
Tennessee (10-0, 7-0 SEC) took a big step toward playing for the nationaltitle in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 4, while Kentucky (7-4, 4-4) played for thefirst time since last week’s truck crash that killed two men, including oneplayer, and severely injured another player.
“You have to hand it to Tennessee,” Kentucky coach Hal Mumme said. “Theythumped us pretty good. A lot of it was that we weren’t clicking, especially onoffense.
“I could tell you after the first few series – we were flat. You could justsee it in their eyes. The truth of the matter is you can’t go play againstgreat athletes as a basically emotionless team.”
The Vols, SEC East champs for the second straight year, can complete aperfect regular-season with a win next Saturday at Vanderbilt and a victory inthe SEC title game on Dec. 5 against Arkansas or Mississippi State.
“We might have played our best game defensively. Offensively, maybe,”coach Phillip Fulmer said after his Vols sacked Tim Couch six times and forcedhim into numerous errant passes despite being without injured linebacker AlWilson.
“To hold them down the way we did was special. You have to give oursecondary credit, they prepared well.”
Tennessee is 10-0 for the first time since 1956, while Kentucky finished itsbest season since 1984 and awaits its first bowl bid since 1993.
“We’re fortunate enough to have another game to play,” safety Jeff Zurchersaid. “We’re looking forward to working hard and really beat our next opponentand treat it like another regular season game.”
After a moment of silence was observed by the crowd of 107,252, the Wildcatsforced the Vols to punt, but Couch, whose best friend died in the crash, wasunable generate any offense.
Tennessee was unstoppable, scoring on seven consecutive possessions androlling to a 38-7 halftime lead.
“We thought we were going to be able to play with them,” Couch said afterhis first of two TD passes gave the Wildcats a 7-6 lead. “But they put a lotof points on the board, and we couldn’t go out and execute like we wanted to.”
The Vols led 14-7 after the first quarter on two field goals by Jeff Halland Bryson’s 1-yard TD run and a 2-point conversion pass from Tee Martin toBryson. Couch’s 3-yard TD pass to Lance Mickelson put Kentucky briefly ahead.
In the second quarter, Martin threw a 55-yard TD pass to Cedrick Wilson -the ball traveled 65 yards – to put the Vols up 21-7.
Less than three minutes later, Bryson got loose on a draw play and ran 58yards for a score. Hall then kicked his third field goal, a 47-yarder, andbackup fullback Philip Crosby scored from a yard out with 16 seconds left inthe half.
Martin, who also ran 33 yards for a third-quarter TD, was 13-of-20 for 189yards. He also carried eight times for 53 yards. Hall finished with 15 pointsand became the SEC’s career leading scorer with 354 points.
Couch, a pallbearer at his friend Scott Brock’s funeral on Wednesday, triedto keep Kentucky in the game. But the Heisman Trophy contender had a difficulttime with Tennessee’s fierce pass rush, led by linebacker Raynoch Thompson.
Couch, who entered the game completing 73.4 percent of his passes, was35-of-56 for 337 yards and two TDs.
“We wanted to hit him, make him move, take him out of his rhythm,” Fulmersaid, adding that his defense was embarrassed last season after Couch passedfor 476 yards against them.
The junior, who may forgo his final season of eligibility for the NFL draft,finished the year completing 400 of 553 passes for 4,275 yards – all SECrecords – and 36 TDs. He also broke the NCAA single-season record forcompletions of 374 set by Houston’s David Klingler in 1980.
Even in defeat, the game had to be a welcome distraction for the Kentuckyplayers and coaches trying to cope with a heart-wrenching week. Two days afterlast Sunday’s crash, Jason Watts, the starting center who is recovering from anarm injury in a Lexington, Ky., hospital, was charged with manslaughter anddrunken driving. He has a Dec. 17 court date.
Instead of focusing on their biggest game of the season against the nation’stop team, there were bus rides to funerals, practices at night, visits to thehospital and tearful sessions with ministers and bereavement counselors.
The Wildcats were unable to stop the Vols in the second half, either. TravisHenry scored on a 1-yard run and Martin ran 33 yards for third-quarter scoresand Travis Stephens added a 1-yard TD run.
“I though they played awful hard on both sides of the ball,” Fulmer saidof the Wildcats. “Certainly, it has to have some affect emotionally. You haveto feel for them.”
The traditional Beer Barrel, the blue, white and orange-painted trophy thatgoes to the winner of this annual rivalry, was not displayed “out of respectfor the families involved with the tragedy last Sunday in Kentucky,” Volsassociate athletic director Gary Wyant said.
