Kentucky comes up short: Turnovers hand Tennessee the win despite three missed field goals from the Vols

The atmosphere at Neyland Stadium was absolutely electric to start the game. Over 100,000 fans, all dressed in black for the blackout, packed Neyland as they hope to continue their playoff push.

Despite the setting, Kentucky got off to a hot start. On the first play from scrimmage, freshman Jamarion Wilcox broke free for a massive 50-yard sprint.

However, like many Kentucky drives before, this one stalled inside the 5-yard line. Facing 3rd and 7, Brock Vandagriff scrambled for 5 yards, setting up a short 4th and 2 from the 5-yard line. Kentucky chose to go for it, the right call, but the play call itself left a lot to be desired.

Instead of getting Brock on the edge, offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan dialed up a two-option route. With the flat route covered, Vandagriff pumped and threw to Dane Key over the middle, but the pass sailed just out of reach with a defender closing in. Walking away with zero points there hurt.

Tennessee took over and promptly went on a 10-play drive, but Kentucky’s defense held, forcing a missed field goal. Kentucky then took a more aggressive approach, with Vandagriff finding junior tight end Josh Kattus for a touchdown, capping off a 6-play, 75-yard drive.

The teams then traded turnovers: Kentucky threw an interception, and Tennessee’s Dylan Sampson fumbled. After a pair of three-and-outs from Kentucky sandwiched between a missed field goal and a Tennessee touchdown, the score was tied at 7.

Kentucky managed a 10-play drive to end the half with a field goal, taking a 10-7 lead into the break. Vandagriff finished the half with 123 yards on 10-of-17 passing, 1 TD, and 1 INT, while Wilcox rushed for 61 yards on six carries. Barion Brown led Kentucky’s receivers with three catches for 29 yards before exiting with an injury.

Tennessee received the second-half kickoff and drove down the field but once again stalled in the red zone. The Vols freshman kicker missed his third field goal of the night, this time wide left after a bad snap.

Kentucky couldn’t capitalize; a missed block led to a strip-sack on Vandagriff by Joshua Josephs. Tennessee then turned the short field into points with a quick 5-play, 28-yard drive, taking their first lead at 14-10.

On the next drive, back-to-back false starts pushed Kentucky into a first-and-20 hole as penalties continued to pile up (a common thing under Stoops). Vandagriff scrambled for 16 yards, but a missed block by Eli Cox on third down allowed a sack by James Pierce, forcing a punt. It also would end Brock Vandagriff's night early, as he left with a head injury.

Gavin Wimsatt came in to relieve Vandagriff and threw an interception after an eight-play, 25-yard drive dominated by runs. Tennessee capitalized quickly, returning the pick inside the 15-yard line and scoring just two plays later. This put them up 21-10, with 14 points off turnovers.

Down by two scores, Gavin Wimsatt launched a deep ball to Jamori Maclin, who hauled in his first touchdown as a Wildcat with a spectacular catch. Kentucky decided to go for two, but a delay of game penalty set them back. Even with the setback, Wimsatt connected with Maclin again for the two-point conversion, narrowing the gap to 21-18 with 13 minutes remaining.

Tennessee went three-and-out on their next drive, but Kentucky couldn’t muster much on offense, managing only 11 yards on a five-play drive before punting. Tennessee then mounted an impressive game-ending drive with a 13-play, 91-yard blitz, chewing over five minutes off the clock and extending their lead to 28-18.

On the ensuing possession, Wimsatt struggled under intense pressure from Tennessee's defensive line. With two minutes left, Kentucky faced a daunting 3rd-and-25; a short completion and a minimal gain on a fourth-down crossing route sealed their fate as the home crowd broke out into Rocky Top (man, I hate that song). Kentucky did burn their 3 timeouts trying to get the ball back, but Tennessee held on for the win 28-18 despite missing three field goals., sending the Cats to their 4th straight loss. The Cats will try again with an out of conference game against Murray at home coming up.