KENTUCKY POSTGAME NOTES
Tennessee at Kentucky
Kroger Field, Lexington, Ky.
Oct. 28, 2017
 
FINAL SCORE: Kentucky 29, Tennessee 26
 
Team Records and Series Notes

• Kentucky is 6-2 overall, 3-2 in the Southeastern Conference. Tennessee is 3-5, 0-5 in the league. 
• Tennessee leads the all-time series in games played 79-25-9, including a 37-15-3 mark in games played in Lexington. Tonight’s win snapped a five-game winning streak for Tennessee in the series.
• The Wildcats will return to action on Nov. 4 against Ole Miss at Kroger Field. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. ET and will be televised on the SEC Network.

 
Team Notes

• The win moved Kentucky to a 13-5 record over the last 18 regular-season games.
  • This marks the first time UK has accomplished this feat since Nov. 20, 1976 to Oct. 21, 1978. UK was 13-4-1 during that stretch.
• Kentucky has reached its sixth win of the season on Oct. 28, which is the fourth earliest that UK has reached six wins in program history.
  • This is the earliest UK has accomplished this feat since Oct. 13, 2007.
• UK has won nine of its last 11 home games.
  • This is the best stretch since Sept. 30, 2006 to Oct. 20, 2007.
• UK has won six of its last 10 SEC games.
  • This is the best stretch since Oct. 28, 2006 to Nov. 10, 2007.
• Kentucky has scored in 21 straight quarters at Kroger Field.
• Kentucky has had a 100-yard rusher in each of its last five home games against Tennessee.
• UK scored 21 points in the first half, which was the most points scored in the first half against Tennessee since scoring 21 in 2009.
• Kentucky is 3-2 in SEC play in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1976/1977.
• The Wildcats are 8-2 in games decided by seven points or less over the last two seasons.
• Kentucky’s 289 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns are season highs.
  • UK averaged 8.0 yards per rush in the game.
  • This was Kentucky’s most rushing yards in a SEC home game since Nov. 13, 2010 vs. Vanderbilt. UK had 341 rushing yards that game.
• UK has at least 289 rushing yards in a game in consecutive seasons against an SEC opponent for the first time since 2009/2010 against Vanderbilt.
• Dating back to at least 1985, the game-winning touchdown with :33 left is the latest game-winning touchdown in the fourth quarter against an SEC opponent.
• The late TD marks the first time UK has scored a game-winning touchdown in the final minute of a game since Sept. 5, 2015 against Louisiana-Lafayette.
• Kentucky’s 29 points scored was its most in a win against Tennessee since the first-ever meeting in 1893. UK scored 56 points that game.
• Kentucky had four turnovers tonight.  The last time UK had at least four turnovers and still won was in 2008 vs. Arkansas when the Wildcats won despite four miscues.
  • The last time UK lost with a turnover margin of -4 or worse was 1998 vs. Indiana.

 
Player Notes

• UK’s game captains were OG Nick Haynes, QB Stephen Johnson, LB Courtney Love and S Mike Edwards. They have been game captains every game this season.
• Senior quarterback Stephen Johnson completed six passes for 46 yards, while he rushed six times for 84 yards and a touchdown.
  • Johnson’s touchdown rush with :33 left in the game was the game-winner.
  • Johnson had 84 rushing yards, which is the most by a UK quarterback in an SEC game since Matt Roark against Tennessee in 2011. Roark had 124 that day against the Vols.
• Sophomore running back Benny Snell was impressive in the win, rushing a game-high 27 times for 180 yards and three touchdowns.
  • It is his second-most single-game yardage of his career, behind the 192 yards at Missouri last season.
  • It is his fourth 100-yard game of the season and ninth of his career.
  • Snell is the first player in school history with nine career 100-yard rushing games prior to their junior season.
  • He has nine rushing TDs this season and 22 in his career.
  • Snell is the ninth player in school history to reach 20 career rushing touchdowns.
  • Snell is the first player in school history to reach 20 career rushing touchdowns prior to his junior season.
  • Snell is the first UK player with three rushing touchdowns in the first half of a SEC game since Artose Pinner against Vanderbilt on Nov. 16, 2002.
  • Snell is the first UK player with three rushing touchdowns against Tennessee since Moe Williams on Nov. 18, 1995.
  • Snell’s rushing total is the most a UK player has ever had against Tennessee.
  • Snell’s rushing total is the sixth most by a UK player in an SEC game at Kroger Field.
  • Snell is the first UK player with 180 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns in an SEC game since Rafael Little vs. Vanderbilt on Nov. 12, 2005.
  • Snell now has 1,812 rushing yards for his career, which moves him into ninth place on UK’s career rushing list.
• Senior wide receiver Garrett Johnson caught one pass in the game and has caught at least one pass in 19 consecutive games.
• Senior wide receiver Blake Bone caught two passes for 26 yards.
• Junior safety Mike Edwards recorded 10 tackles, one sack and 1.5 tackles for loss in the game.
  • Edwards has recorded 10 or more tackles in four of his last five games.
• Junior linebacker Jordan Jones led all players with 13 tackles in the game, adding one sack and two tackles for loss.
  • Jones’ 13 tackles are a season high and the most in his career in a SEC game.
  • Jones has recorded 10 or more tackles in five career games.
• Junior linebacker Josh Allen recorded seven tackles, one tackle for loss and 0.5 sacks in the game.
  • Allen has at least a half-sack in six of UK’s eight games this season.
  • Allen has had a TFL in every game this season.
  • Allen is the first UK player with at least seven sacks in consecutive seasons since Bud Dupree in 2013/2014.
  • Allen is the first UK player with seven sacks through the team’s first eight games of the season since Dennis Johnson had 7.5 in 2001.
• Senior defensive end Denzil Ware recorded nine tackles with one sack and two tackles for loss in the game.
  • Ware has recorded a sack in four games this season.  
• Senior kicker Austin MacGinnis had three PATs in the game, which takes his career total of PATs made to 129. That ranks him second all-time at UK. He needs 29 more to tie Lones Seiber for the most all time at 158.  He improved his UK career scoring record to 318 total points.