Kentucky put a solid post-Halloween scare into No. 7 Tennessee for most of Saturday's clash at Neyland Stadium, but the short-handed Wildcats ultimately did not have enough weapons to keep pace with the Volunteers in a 28-18 loss.
Tennessee (7-1, 4-1 SEC) kept its College Football Playoff hopes is solid position by outscoring the Cats 21-8 in the second half.
Kentucky (3-6, 1-6 SEC) saw its losing streak extend to four games.
"We are in a tough situation, personnel-wise, right now," said Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops, whose Cats entered the game missing almost a dozen starters or key contributors and lost several more during the course of the night. "I really greatly appreciate our players for how they prepared, down on numbers, not many people to sub, and things of that nature. They really came into a tough situation and fought hard, and I'm proud of them for that.
"I'd like to execute better... but that's a damn good defense."
As it has done all season, the Volunteer defense came up with the biggest plays of the game, turning a forced fumble and an interception into a pair of short-field touchdowns in the second half.
Joshua Joseph's sack and strip of UK quarterback Brock Vandagriff at the Cats' 28-yard line led to a four-play touchdown drive capped by Dylan Sampson's 3-yard run to give Tennessee its first lead of the game with 8:28 remaining in the third quarter.
Then with time winding down in the third quarter, Tennessee safety Will Brooks intercepted a Gavin Wimsatt pass at the Vols' 23 to thwart a potential UK scoring drive and returned it 67 yards to the Cats' 10. Two plays later, Nico Iamaleava connected with tight end Miles Kitselman on a 6-yard touchdown pass to give UT a 21-10 lead.
Kentucky pulled within 21-18 on a 32-yard touchdown pass from Wimsatt to Ja'Mori Maclin and a two-point conversion pass from the same duo with 13:31 remaining in the game, but the Cats could get no closer.
Tennessee sealed the victory with a 6-yard touchdown run by Sampson with 4:45 to play.
The Vols outgained the Cats 477 to 360 on the night and held a 3-1 turnover advantage.
Sampson ran for 142 yards on 27 carries and scored two touchdowns to lead the UT offense.
Redshirt freshman running back Jamarion Wilcox, who rushed for 102 yards on 17 carries, was a bright spot for the UK offense. It marked the first 100-yard game of his career, and his 50-yard run in the first quarter was only the fourth play all season of 30 yards or longer surrendered by the Vols.
Senior linebacker Pop Dumas-Johnson led the UK defense with 14 tackles, one TFL, and a forced fumble.
*****
In this "Rapid Recap" feature, we touch on some quick-hitters from the UK loss...
KEY MOMENT:
Leading 10-7 midway through the third quarter, Kentucky quarterback Brock Vandagriff was sacked by Tennessee's Joshua Josephs and fumbled at the Cats' 28-yard line. That was the shot of adrenaline that the Volunteers desperately needed at that point in the game. Four plays later, UT running back Dylan Sampson was in the end zone on a 3-yard touchdown run that gave the Vols the lead for good.
GAME BALL:
Miles Kitselman, Tennessee -- The previously inconspicuous tight end played a key role in the Volunteers' offensive attack, catching six balls for 97 yards and a touchdown. He entered the game with only six receptions for 78 yards on the season.
BY THE NUMBERS:
1st - Kentucky freshman, Jamarion Wilcox, to ever rush for 100-plus yards against Tennessee in Knoxville.
2 - Touchdowns for the Volunteers' Dylan Sampson gave him 19 in 2024, a new UT single-season record.
3-1 - Turnovers for UK and UT, respectively.
4 - Straight losses for the Wildcats against the Volunteers, who now lead the all-time series 85-26-9 and 45-11-6 in Knoxville.
4th - Consecutive SEC game in which UK has driven inside the opponent's 5-yard line and failed to score any points.
8-2 - Red zone trips for the Vols and Cats, respectively.
QUOTABLE:
"We had a great opportunity to win the game against a really, really good team." -- UK head coach Mark Stoops
UP NEXT:
After an open date, Kentucky returns to action on Nov. 16 against Murray State. Kickoff is slated for 1:30 p.m. ET at Kroger Field with a TV broadcast designation yet to be finalized.
