Kentucky Falls Short 45-42 to Tennessee in Shootout
A thrilling game at Kroger Field ended with Kentucky’s third straight loss. The Wildcats had more than 600 yards of offense and did not punt, but could not win the shootout against Tennessee, falling 45-42 to the Volunteers. It’s the second straight one-score loss to Tennessee at Kroger Field and dropped UK to 6-3 on the season.
Fast Tennessee Start
Even though we were warned, nobody was ready to see the Volunteers sprint out to an early lead that fast. JaVonta Payton took a screen pass 75 yards to the end zone on the first play of the game. Following a lengthy UK scoring drive, Tennessee responded with another touchdown three plays later. Somehow UK possessed the ball for more than 14 minutes in the first quarter, yet trailed 14-7.
Turnover Changes Tide for Kentucky
On the following drive it looked like Tennessee was going to score on another long ball. Luckily, Jalin Hyatt stepped out of bounds after gaining 41 yards. The next snap changed the game. The exchange on the handoff was fumbled and Jacquez Jones fell on the football.
Kentucky seized the momentum, immediately responding with a 6-play, 71-yard scoring drive that ended with a memorable Will Levis rushing touchdown.
The touchdown injected life into Kroger Field and the UK defense. The Wildcats rallied for a stop, one Liam Coen and Co. turned into points. Kentucky led 21-14 with three minutes to play before half.
An Unfortunate Penalty
Kentucky’s defense bucked up when they needed to, again. Tennessee was on the ropes with a fourth and four. Vito Tisdale read the out route perfectly and jumped it, but arrived too soon. He was flagged for pass interference and Tennessee was awarded a first down.
Two plays later the Vols scored.
Kentucky had a chance to take the lead going into halftime. Levis missed a pair of promising passes and the drive ended with a turnover on downs. Tennessee only needed three plays to get into scoring range. The Vols scored 10 points in the final 2:36 of the second quarter.
Game-Changing Interception
Even after losing momentum before half, the Kentucky offense responded with another Levis touchdown run to retake the lead. A pooched kickoff and three plays later, Kentucky was once again behind on the scoreboard. The back and forth finally came to a halt in the worst way for UK.
Levis was 7-of-8 to start the second half. The Kentucky quarterback’s second incompletion was a devastating turnover. Alontae Taylor jumped the hitch to Wan’Dale Robinson and took it 56 yards for a touchdown. It’s difficult to win a shoot out, especially when the opponent has a defensive touchdown. Even though they trailed by ten, Kentucky did not quit.
One Exceptional Stop
When Kentucky needed a stop down by three points, they got help from the pass rush. On the first Tennessee third and long halfway through the fourth quarter, Hendon Hooker slipped away for a 25-yard gain. Doubt grew around the BBN when the Vols converted another third down. Then the sack monsters came to play.
On second and goal from the UK five, DeAndre Square burst through the line of scrimmage, forcing Hooker to run right into J.J. Weaver’s arms. After a Tennessee false start, Trevin Wallace brought the pressure, feeding Hooker into Weaver again. Chase McGrath’s ensuing 35-yard field goal went wide right, giving Kentucky 4:42 seconds to drive 80 yards for the win.
The Final Drive
Kentucky was almost in Tennessee territory when all hell broke loose. Levis’ facemask was yanked when he was taken down on a third-down QB draw. A blatant missed call, Mark Stoops used the extra time during a timeout to voice his concern. Officials doubled down on their bad call by giving Stoops an unsportsmanlike conduct flag.
Levis did not panic on fourth down. Instead, he put a pass right on Izayah Cummings to gain 28 yards and keep the final drive alive. Unfortunately, it was the last completion of the game for Levis. Tennessee brought pressure until the UK quarterback’s final pass on fourth and ten sailed out of bounds.
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