FINAL: Tennessee gets all of the breaks in 33-27 win over Kentucky
It felt like deja vu all over again at Kroger Field. In the border rivalry between Kentucky and Tennessee, when there’s a 50-50 play, it goes the Vols’ way. History repeated itself until Josh Heupel’s squad pulled away in the fourth quarter with a 33-27 victory.
Devin Leary played arguably the best game of his Kentucky career. The quarterback was dialed in, completing 28-of-39 passes for 373 yards and two touchdowns. Unfortunately, so was Joe Milton.
The Tennessee quarterback only threw three incomplete passes. That wasn’t where the Vols cooked the Cats. Tennessee averaged 5.4 yards per carry en route to 254 on the ground. The Wildcats had no answer for the Vols, who totaled 481 yards of offense and scored on six of their first seven possessions.
The loss drops Kentucky to 5-3, 2-3 in SEC play in 2023. Mark Stoops is now has a 2-9 record against Tennessee.
Another Fast Start by Tennessee
Since Josh Heupel took the reins at Tennessee, the Vols have started fast in every meeting against the Wildcats. They scored a touchdown on the first snap in 2021, the fifth Tennessee snap in 2022 and the fifth play in 2023. This time it was a 52-yard run by Jaylen Wright through the heart of the Kentucky defense.
Tennessee’s rushing attack gave the Wildcats fits. In previous years the wide splits by the receivers created explosiveness in the passing game. Saturday night they forced Kentucky to make one-on-one plays in open space and the Cats failed time and time again. Fortunately, the Kentucky offense proved to the Big Blue Nation it had a counterpunch.
Devin Leary Finds a Rhythm in the Kentucky Offense
The offense the Big Blue Nation was waiting to see finally came to life. After starting three-and-out, four-and-out, quarterback Devin Leary hit Jordan Dingle for a 22-yard gain. From then on, there was no looking back.
The Wildcats converted third-and-longs to Dane Key. Leary finally connected with Barion Brown on a go-ball and the sophomore from Nashville caught his first touchdown in SEC play. The passing game gave Kentucky life in the first half.
Controversial End of Half Goes Tennessee’s Way
The next day a call goes Kentucky’s way against Tennessee will be the first day. Even though the Vols had been moving the ball easily downfield, Heupel was unwilling to trust Joe Milton in a two-minute drive with a 20-17 lead. Kentucky stuffed two runs. On third down Milton was under pressure. After one defensive lineman got tackled at the line of scrimmage, the Tennessee quarterback let it fly to the sideline.
The ball appeared incomplete in real time, but officials ruled it a catch. The replay booth took over and almost everyone, even Tennessee fans, assumed it would be overturned. As has become typical in this series, it went Tennessee’s way. The call on the field stood. Four plays later Tennessee kicked a field goal to go up six points.
Fateful Fourth Downs for Kentucky
The Kentucky defense got its first stop of the day on the first Tennessee drive of the second half. The Wildcats had a chance to retake the lead with a touchdown. Leary and the UK offense marched inside the 40-yard line before a sack put the Wildcats behind the chains. Instead of attempting a field goal from the 35-yard line, Stoops elected to go for it on fourth and six. The fade to running back Demie Sumo-Karngbaye failed.
On the next offensive possession the Wildcats inched closer with a Dane Key touchdown. The defense delivered another stop, giving Kentucky a chance to take the lead on the opening drive of the fourth quarter. The drive stalled out in a similar spot. This time Stoops did not elect to go for it on fourth and ten from the 34-yard line. Alex Raynor‘s 53-yard attempt went wide left, his first miss of the season.
In between Kentucky’s fourth down misses, Tennessee doinked in a field goal. The ball has a way of bouncing the Vols’ way in this series.
Too Many Missed Tackles
The story of this game is a familiar refrain from the last three years: the Kentucky defense couldn’t get enough stops.
One close call in the fourth quarter may have sealed the Cats’ fate. Tennessee had a third and nine but slipped by evading defenders to move the chains. Kentucky responded with a big tackle for loss, then gobbled up a shovel pass in the backfield. The Kroger Field crowd was prepared for a third and long, until the Vol poked free for a huge gain. A few plays later, Tennessee was in the end zone with a 9-point lead.
Trailing by six and desperate for a stop, Dru Phillips made a great play to grab Squirrel White behind the line of scrimmage. Kentucky fans could feel third and six, until Squirrel slipped away for a first down. Missed tackles were missed opportunities all night for the Kentucky defense. After three years, the Cats still have no answers for Heupel’s attack.
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