Late TD Lifts Kentucky Past Tennessee, 29-26
Quarterback Stephen Johnson scrambled 11 yards for a touchdown with 33 seconds left in the game, lifting Kentucky to a 29-26 win over Tennessee on Saturday night at Kroger Field.
Kentucky (6-2, 3-2 SEC) trailed 26-21 with 4:43 left in the game. That’s when Johnson, who had been injured and forced to go to the locker room in the third quarter, led the Cats on what would be a game-winning drive. The senior made a number of key plays on the drive, including 16-yard pass completion to Tavin Richardson and a 12-yard rush to get the Cats inside Tennessee territory.
Sophomore running back Benny Snell, Jr. carried the Wildcats’ offense, literally, for much of the night. Snell rushed 27 times for 180 yards and three touchdowns. Snell accounted for 33 rushing yards on Kentucky’s game-winning drive.
Tennessee got on the board first, taking advantage of a Kentucky turnover to grab an early lead. After Snell fumbled, Tennessee recovered inside the Kentucky 20. But the Vols could not do anything with the possession, gaining just three yards in three plays before settling for a 30-yard field goal from Brent Cimaglia to take a 3-0 lead.
Kentucky answered with a six-play, 60-yard scoring drive, capped by a six-yard touchdown run from Snell. Austin MacGinnis added the PAT to give Kentucky a 7-3 lead with 10:16 left in the first quarter.
On the ensuing drive, Tennessee got the ball inside the red zone again. But Kentucky’s defense stood tall, including a big sack from Lonnie Johnson, holding the Vols to a 24-yard Cimaglia field goal that made it 7-6 with 4:34 left in the first.
Tennessee got good field position on its next drive after Sihiem King fumbled, giving the Vols the ball at the UK 41 yard line. But after gaining one first down, Tennessee was forced to try another field goal. Cimaglia’s attempt from 44 yards hit the left upright and bounded away, keeping the score at 7-6 with 2:12 left in the first.
Kentucky took over on its own 26 yard line and the Wildcats struck quickly. Snell made the big play, a 48-yard rush to get the Cats inside the UT five yard line.
On the first play of the second quarter, Snell went in from two yards out. The MacGinnis point after gave UK a 14-6 advantage.
After the teams traded punts, the Vols marched 75 yards in seven plays, with Ty Chandler taking it in from one yard out. Cimaglia’s PAT made it 14-13 UK with 8:37 to go in the half.
But Kentucky had the answer, as the Cats mounted a seven-play, 75-yard scoring drive, capped by Snell’s third touchdown of the half, this one from one yard out, giving Kentucky a 21-13 lead. The Cats got a half of the yards in the drive on a pass from freshman wide receiver Lynn Bowden to Richardson, a play that covered 38 yards and got UK to the Tennessee five yard line.
The back-and-forth between the teams continued, as Tennessee promptly drove into Kentucky territory, and it was Chandler scoring from the one-yard line again, cutting Kentucky’s lead to 21-20 with 1:25 left in the first half. That would be the halftime score.
Tennessee punted to start the second half, but was able to pin Kentucky inside its own 10 yard line. Johnson got UK out of trouble with a 34-yard scramble, but the UK quarterback was injured on the play. Backup Drew Barker entered the game and fumbled on his second play from scrimmage, giving the Vols the ball at their own 44.
The Vols drove inside the Kentucky 10, but the Wildcats defense stood tall again, forcing another Tennessee field goal. Cimaglia was good, this time from 30 yards, to give UT a 23-21 lead with 3:40 left in the third quarter.
Johnson returned during Kentucky’s next drive, but the Wildcats turned the ball over again to end any threat. Johnson hit Garrett Johnson with a pass near midfield, but the ball popped loose, and the Vols recovered.
Using the short field to its advantage again, UT quickly moved into the red zone. But an intentional grounding penalty stalled the drive, forcing another Cimaglia field goal attempt. The UT kicker was good again, this time from 45 yards out, giving the Vols a 26-21 lead with 13:24 remaining in the game.
Kentucky was forced to punt again on its next possession, and Tennessee drove into Kentucky territory again. The Wildcats forced another field goal, but Cimaglia missed from 43 yards, giving the ball back to UK at their own 25 yard line with 8:22 left.
The Wildcats, who are now bowl eligible for the second straight season, return to action on Saturday, facing Ole Miss in SEC action. The game is set to kickoff at 4 p.m. ET at Kroger Field, and can be seen on the SEC Network.
