No. 12 Kentucky Falls at Tennessee
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Benny Snell, Jr. rushed for 81 yards and caught a career-high six passes, but No. 12 Kentucky was upset by Tennessee, 24-7 on Saturday at Neyland Stadium.
Terry Wilson completed 21 of his 34 passes for 172 yards and a touchdown, with an interception. Lynn Bowden, Jr. caught six passes for 57 yards in the game.
On defense, Mike Edwards had a team-high six tackles, while adding a pair of pass breakups. Josh Allen recorded his 11th sack of the season, giving him 25.5 for his career, just a half-sack behind Oliver Barnett for the UK school record. Allen needs just 3.5 sacks to crack the SEC’s career sack leaders list.
Tennessee got on the board first in Saturday’s contest, after driving 55 yards in eight plays. But the Kentucky defense stood tall, holding the Vols to a 19-yard Brent Cimaglia field goal which was good, giving Tennessee a 3-0 lead with 5:09 left in the first quarter. That would be the score after one period.
In the second quarter, Kentucky had a 15-play drive, but the Wildcats did not score. Freshman Chance Poore, attempting his first career field goal from beyond 50 yards, missed wide right from 51 yards out, keeping the score 3-0 with 12:49 to go in the half.
After the teams exchanged punts, Tennessee got into the end zone at the end of a six-play, 81-yard drive. Tim Jordan capped the drive with a three-yard touchdown run, and Cimaglia’s PAT was good, giving Tennessee a 10-0 lead with 2:05 left in the half.
The Cats went three-and-out on the ensuing drive, and Tennessee got the ball back with 1:00 left in the half. The Vols got into UK territory, and on the final play of the half, quarterback Jarrett Guarantano connected with Marquez Calloway on a 39-yard Hail Mary touchdown pass. The PAT made it 17-0 Vols at the half.
Tennessee added a touchdown in the third quarter to go up 24-0 before Kentucky was able to get on the board. The Wildcats did so on a five-play, 60-yard drive that ended with a 19-yard Wilson touchdown pass to tight end C.J. Conrad. Poore’s extra point was good, and Kentucky cut the lead to 24-7, which would be the score after three quarters.
In the fourth quarter, Kentucky drove into Tennessee territory before the drive stalled. Poore tried a 30-yard field goal that was blocked. But the Cats got the ball back when freshman linebacker Chris Oats forced and recovered a fumble with 10:04 left in the game. But the Cats were unable to cash in on the turnover, giving the ball back on a Wilson fumble.
Kentucky returns home next weekend to face Middle Tennessee on Senior Day at Kroger Field. Kickoff is set for noon ET, and the television network will be determined later on Saturday.
