No. 6 Kentucky got 224 yards passing from Kenny Minchey, but the Cats lost at No. 13 Tennessee 34-6 on Saturday night at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville.
C.J. Baxter rushed for 54 yards and Jovante Barnes had 48 yards on the ground, but the Cats were kept out of the end zone for the first time this season.
Kentucky got the ball first, and the Cats were able to move the ball on the Vols’ defense. The Cats got two first downs and crossed midfield, but UK would eventually be forced to punt. Tennessee would take over at its own 11 with 10:27 left in the first quarter.
Tennessee would make one first down on its first drive, but the Vols would punt the ball back to the Cats, who took over at their own 44 with 8:21 to play in the first.
The Cats would make a first down on their next drive, but Minchey took a deep shot and was intercepted by Tennessee’s Dejuan Lane in the end zone.
The teams would trade punts, but Tennessee would strike after that. Daune Morris scampered 66 yards for a touchdown to get the Vols on the board. Cooper Ranvier added the point after and UT led 7-0 with 56 seconds left in the first quarter. That would be the score after 15 minutes of play.
Kentucky would respond with a solid drive of its own. Barnes had carries of 14 and 19 yards on the drive as the Cats got into UT territory. However, the drive would stall and UK would settle for a 43-yard field goal from Adam Zouagui, who connected to cut the UT lead to 7-3 with 9:53 left in the first half.
Tennessee answered back with a scoring drive. The Vols had a 36-yard completion, getting into UK territory, but the UK defense held and forced a field goal attempt. Ranvier connected from 48 yards out, giving UT a 10-3 lead with 7:16 remaining in the first half.
On the third play of Kentucky’s next drive, Barnes fumbled and the Vols recovered at the UK 48 yard line, taking over with 6:06 left in the half. However, the UK defense got a stop and the Vols punted. UK took over at its own four yard line with 3:58 left in the half.
Kentucky would dig its way out of that hole, getting an 11-yard rush from Baxter and a 33-yard completion from Minchey to Kenny Darby, getting the Cats to the UT 30 yard line. UK would get inside the 10, but was unable to get into the end zone, settling for a 25-yard field goal from Zouagui to cut the deficit to 10-6 with nine seconds left in the half. That would be the halftime score.
The Vols got the ball to start the third quarter, and UT would add to its lead. Tennessee used 10 plays to cover 55 yards, ending with a 39-yard field goal from Ranvier, extending the lead to 13-6 with 10:44 to play in the third quarter.
Kentucky took the ensuing possession and was able to make two first downs, crossing midfield in the process. However, the drive stalled and UK punted it back to the Vols, who took over at their own 17 with 6:10 left in the third.
Tennessee got one first down, but punted it back to the Cats, who took over at their own 18 yard line with 4:02 remaining in the third quarter.
UK would get two first downs and got to midfield, but Minchey was hit and fumbled. Tennessee was able to come up with the recovery and the Vols took over at the UK 36 with 30 seconds left in the quarter, which would end with UT holding a 13-6 lead.
Early in the fourth quarter, the Vols would cash in on the turnover. Mike Matthews caught a 20-yard touchdown pass from Faizon Brandon to extend the lead, and Ranvier added the PAT to give UT a 20-6 lead with 13:34 remaining.
Kentucky would turn the ball over on downs in its next possession and the Vols added to their lead on a five-yard touchdown run by DeSean Bishop. The PAT gave the Vols a 27-6 lead. UT would add another touchdown late in the game.
The Cats returns to action on Saturday, hosting Florida at Kroger Field. Kickoff will be in the evening, but the kick time has not yet been determined.