Tennessee Leads Kentucky 35-21 After Wacky First Half

You can finally exhale. That was a manic first half between Kentucky and Tennessee.

It opened with the Vols scoring almost instantly. Chris Brazzell caught a 35-yard touchdown four snaps into the game to give Tennessee an early 7-0 lead. Things went from bad to worse when Cutter Boley‘s pass was tipped, intercepted, and returned for a score.

Kentucky is not built to overcome large deficits. They haven’t dug out of a 14-point hole against a Power Conference foe in the Mark Stoops era. But give this team credit, they fought back.

Kendrick Law took a screen pass 71 yards for a touchdown. We also saw DJ Miller score a big-play touchdown. In between it all was the most chaotic play in the history of this rivalry game.

No problem https://t.co/Faq1PujBzT pic.twitter.com/U0KAqHSrAo

— Drew Franklin (@DrewFranklinKSR) October 26, 2025

Even though it put the Cats even further behind the 8-ball, they continued to fight. Kentucky got the ball with 10:12 on the clock and didn’t give it back to Tennessee until 1:37 was left in the second quarter. The Cats strung together a 16-play, 96-yard drive that ended with a 3-yard touchdown pass JJ Hester to make it 28-21.

Unfortunately, it was too much time for Tennessee. The Vols got it down to the 13-yard line with 10 seconds to when Aguilar connected with Ethan Davis for the touchdown. Instead of a one-score deficit with the ball, Kentucky is back down 14. Sigh.

Halftime Box Score

More Kentucky News and Views on the KSR YouTube Channel

Kentucky Sports Radio has expanded its coverage of the Wildcats in the most ridiculous manner possible on our YouTube Channel. Here you will be able to find interviews with coaches and players, as well as commentary from the KSR crew. From Rapid Reactions following big events to our lengthy lineup of live shows, subscribe to the KSR YouTube Channel to stay up to date on everything happening around the Big Blue Nation.