Second Half Mistakes Doom Kentucky in 28-18 Loss to Tennessee
We weren’t sure if Kentucky had anything left in the tank after a brutal October. The Cats came ready to play and punched Tennessee in the mouth, but they didn’t have enough to knock off another Top 10 team on the road.
Kentucky led 10-7 at the half, but a pair of third quarter turnovers flipped the script for the Wildcats. Nico Iamaleava delivered time and time again in crucial situations, making enough winning plays for the Volunteers to prevail with a 28-18 win.
The 3-6 Wildcats are 1-6 in SEC play and have now lost four straight games entering the second bye week of the season. It was the result many expected, but a gutsy performance gave Kentucky fans a fleeting moment of hope. Here’s how the wild game unfolded.
Uncharacteristic Explosive Offense
Explosive plays have eluded Kentucky all season. The Wildcats were one of two FBS teams without a run of 30+ yards this season. Jamarion Wilcox went for 50 on the first snap of the game. The drive ultimately stalled when Tennessee bowed up on fourth and two inside the 10-yard line, but the Kentucky offense was not deterred by another empty red zone possession.
On the first play of the second UK drive, Hardley Gilmore caught a 25-yard pass. On third and long, Dane Key fought through a pass interference or a 17-yard reception. Two plays later, Kentucky went five-wide and found Josh Kattus unguarded, who rumbled through a few tackles and into the end zone for a 27-yard touchdown.
Surprising Missed Tennessee Field Goals
Josh Heupel’s offense has foiled Brad White time and time again. It was a different story at Neyland Stadium on Saturday night. The Vols moved the football, but when they got in scoring territory, the defense did just enough.
There was a Tre’vonn Rybka sack that stalled a drive. A big PBU by Jordan Lovett kept a touchdown off the board. Open-field tackling forced Tennessee to settle for three points. There was one problem though: they didn’t score the points.
Max Gilbert was a perfect 12-12 on field goals of 45 yards or less entering tonight’s game. He missed a 43-yarder and a 40-yarder in the first half. Those had to be weighing on his mind when he missed a chip shot 34-yarder to start the second half, keeping the Vols behind 10-7.
One Big Kentucky Mistake
Kentucky had the Vols on the ropes. They weren’t playing perfect football, but it was awfully close. That’s when the one big mistake happened.
While driving to try to extend a three-point lead, redshirt freshman Malachi Wood never got his hands on Joshua Josephs. Vandagriff didn’t see the Tennessee defensive end bearing down on him. Josephs stole the ball right from the Kentucky quarterback, giving the Vols the ball back in scoring territory.
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Tennessee made the most of the Kentucky mistake and fed Dylan Sampson. The SEC’s leading rusher punched it into the end zone to tie the Tennessee single-season touchdown record. He broke the record by scoring his 19th late in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach.
Another Big Kentucky Mistake After Two Injuries
The injured Kentucky Wildcats were without 13 players to start the game. Then Barion Brown took a shot to the ribs, sidelining him for the game. A James Pearce sack ended Brock Vandagriff’s night.
Before Vandagriff’s injury, Kentucky did not play Gavin Wimsatt. They ran it on the first seven snaps of the drive and got the ball down to the Tennessee 27-yard line. Bush Hamdan asked Wimsatt to throw it on third down to try to retake the lead. The ball was late and Will Brooks picked it off, returning it all the way to the Kentucky 10-yard line. Instead of retaking the lead, the interception put Kentucky behind 21-10 entering the third quarter.
A Shocking Late Rally
It felt like the wheels fell off after the third Kentucky turnover of the game. Then Wimsatt delivered an impressive throw to Dane Key on third and long for a 26-yard gain to keep the drive alive. Three plays later he cocked back and let it rip down the sideline to Ja’Mori Maclin.
One of the most explosive receivers in the country last fall at North Texas only had 23 receiving yards since the season opener. Maclin did not catch a pass in the month of September. Tonight he reeled in a 32-yard touchdown.
Kentucky needed to go for two but was slow to react. After taking a delay of game penalty, Wimsatt scrambled and found Maclin again to complete the octopus and cut the deficit to three.
The defense gave the ball back to the Cats down only three with 13 minutes remaining. A second-down snap was bobbled, putting Kentucky behind the chains and ultimately forcing them to punt it away, ending their best chance to rally for an upset.
Final Box Score
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