Three takeaways from Kentucky football’s loss to Tennessee
Three takeaways from Kentucky football’s 33-27 loss to the Tennessee Volunteers on Saturday night at Kroger Field.
1. Kentucky’s defensive problems continue
On a night when Kentucky’s offense finally clicked, UK’s defense could not stop the Tennessee offense, especially when it counted most.
Florida held the Vols to 16 points. Texas A&M and Alabama each held the Vols to 20 points. Alabama even shut out Josh Heupel’s high-tempo attack in the second half of the Crimson Tide’s 34-20 victory over the Volunteers last Saturday.
As for Kentucky, the Cats gave up 33 points and 482 yards to the Volunteers. What hurt the most was Tennessee’s 254 rushing yards. Running back Jaylen Wright sped 52 yards for a score on the Vols’ fifth play from scrimmage, the second straight season Tennessee scored on UK on its fifth snap. By night’s end, Wright had gained 120 yards on just 11 carries for an average of 10.9 per attempt.
Meanwhile, Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton was 18 of 21 for 228 yards and a touchdown through the air. And Tennessee converted 6 of 13 third down situations, something that has been a problem for Kentucky’s defense for most of the season.
In fact, after Kentucky had cut Tennessee’s lead to 33-27 with 4:24 remaining, the Cats couldn’t get the football back. Tennessee ran five plays before UK finally got the Vols in a third down. And on third-and-7 from the UK 37, Milton picked up 11 yards around left end for the first down. Ball game.
Over its last three games, Kentucky has allowed 51 points to Georgia, 38 points to Missouri and now 33 to Tennessee. The Cats have lost all three.
2. A bittersweet night for the offense
Saturday was the best coordinator Liam Coen’s offense has looked all season, especially in the passing game. The Cats threw the ball better, caught the better ball than at any point this year.
Quarterback Devin Leary was 28 of 39 for 372 yards and two touchdowns. Sophomore wideout Dane Key caught seven passes for 113 yards and a score. Sophomore wide out Barion Brown made five grabs for 58 yards and a touchdown. Tight end Jordan Dingle caught four passes for 61 yards.
Kentucky’s run game struggled. Ray Davis was held to 42 yards on 16 carries. That was Tennessee’s game plan, however. The Vols loaded the line of scrimmage, daring Leary to beat them. And he almost did.
Despite the loss, it was a performance to build on. Coming into the season, there was optimism that Kentucky had the makings of an excellent offense. We had not seen it, at least not consistently, until Saturday.
3. Mississippi State game is a must-win
Mark Stoops has never won in Starkville as the Kentucky coach. He’s 0-5 at Davis-Wade Stadium, including a 31-17 loss to the Bulldogs in 2021. The Cats desperately need Stoops to be 1-5 after next Saturday.
Mississippi State is no powerhouse. Under first year head coach Zach Arnett, the Bulldogs dropped to 4-4 with a 27-13 loss at Auburn on Saturday. They are 1-4 in the SEC with losses to LSU (41-14), South Carolina (37-30), Alabama (40-17) and now Auburn. Their lone conference win was a 7-3 decision over Arkansas in Fayetteville.
A win over Mississippi State and Kentucky is 6-3 overall and 3-3 in the SEC heading into the Nov. 4 home date against Alabama. A loss to the Bulldogs and the Cats will limp home 5-4 overall and 2-4 in the league, having lost four straight. That’s not where they want to be.
SEC college football final: Tennessee 33, Kentucky 27
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