Three Plays: Missed call, unfortunate interception cost Kentucky

Kentucky’s latest loss to Tennessee is going to bewilder folks for a long time in the Bluegrass.

The Wildcats had total domination in the box score, but some explosive touchdowns and inability to finish off scoring chances kept the Wildcats from entering the winner’s circle against their rival.

We’re all still trying to figure out how Kentucky ultimately lost the game. When digging deeper, some major snaps stood out.

Lost momentum

After a slow start to the game, Kentucky’s defense started to settle down in the second quarter. The Wildcats came away with a takeaway on the third possession of the game to thwart a Tennessee scoring opportunity and followed it up with a three-and-out on the next drive. Meanwhile, Kentucky put together consecutive scoring drives to take a lead with less than four minutes remaining until halftime.

Then, Kentucky’s defense did its job again forcing a fourth down with just under two minutes remaining before halftime. Thanks to a strong kickoff return, Tennessee was in four-down territory. Kentucky forced an incompletion, but a pass interference call came at the worst time.

On the out route to Velus Jones Jr., Vito Tisdale plays everything perfectly and has the receiver short of the stick. However, the young defensive back gets there just a hair early, and Tennessee gets a pass interference call.

The ripple effect of this penalty was monstrous. Tennessee scores a touchdown a few snaps later to tie the game. Kentucky then goes for a score on the next possession and turns the ball over on downs. The Vols get two clutch completions and are able to add on three more points before the halftime buzzer.

If the pass interference does not happen, the game totally swings. The next time Tennessee touches the ball, the Vols are likely down two possessions, and the entire game changes.

That one pass interference call had a tremendous impact on the game.

Costly turnover

Turnovers have been a major issue for Kentucky all season, and this area has really held the Wildcats back. However, the Wildcats had done a good job avoiding disaster with most takeaways.

That wasn’t the case against Tennessee.

After falling behind 31-28 in the third quarter, Kentucky was putting together another productive drive. However, Will Levis made a huge mistake on second down right around midfield.

Tennessee does a good job disguising both a nickel and safety blitz from the boundary. Will Levis quickly moves to his hot route despite solid protection. Tennessee baits him into the throw, and the Vols make Kentucky pay. Senior cornerback Alontae Taylor jumps the route and puts a defensive touchdown on the board.

From that point forward, Kentucky would be in comeback mode throughout the game. That turnover was just another huge play that the road team made to lead the Vols to victory.

Major missed call

After a huge red zone stop by Kentucky’s defense led to a missed field goal, Kentucky’s offense got the ball back at their own 20 with just under five minutes remaining in the game.

Down three, the Wildcats had a chance to put together one of the most memorable drives in program history. However, Will Levis took a bad second down sack, and it gave Kentucky a third-and-six in Tennessee territory.

Kentucky’s quarterback then takes another sack but the officials missed a blatant facemask penalty.

After the play and missed call, Kentucky burns their first timeout with 1:05 left in the game. Then, the head official gives Kentucky an unsportsmanlike penalty on Mark Stoops to make matters worse.

Kentucky goes on to convert a fourth-and-long, but precious seconds and a timeout were lost. Instead of having a first down at the Tennessee 33 with 1:05 left and three timeouts, the Wildcats had a first down at the Tennessee 38 with 0:52 remaining and just two timeouts left.

The Wildcats could’ve been in a position to run the football. Instead, Kentucky got pass-happy and saw four consecutive completions end the game before the home team could get into field goal range.

Officiating should never be a storyline after a game, but there is no hiding from it after a major missed call.