No. 10 Tennessee football came out in Dark Mode attire on a clear and cool November Saturday night to take on the No. 6 Kentucky Wildcats. Both teams were coming off bye weeks. The Vols went on to a

Early on, both teams moved the ball but stalled, settling for field goals or punts. Penalties and missed execution on key plays repeatedly killed drives.

Head coach Josh Heupel used quarterback Faizon Brandon in some short-yardage situations. On his first snap, a third-and-2 in the first quarter, he handed off to DeSean Bishop for a four-yard gain and a first down.

Kentucky made its first mistake of the game when Dejuan Lane picked off Kenny Minchey on a deep pass in the end zone with 6:43 to go in the first quarter. It was just Minchey’s second interception of the season and Lane’s fourth.

Later in the quarter, Daune Morris broke through for a 66-yard touchdown run up the middle to put the Vols up 7-0 with 56 seconds left in the quarter. Otherwise, the run game was quiet in the first half; Morris’ run accounted for most of Tennessee’s 109 rushing yards.

Arion Carter recorded the first sack of the night early in the second quarter. Daevin Hobbs sacked Minchey again on the next play, but a holding call on Qua Moss negated it and gave the Wildcats an automatic first down instead of fourth-and-long. Kentucky turned that drive into a 43-yard Adam Zouagui field goal. 

George MacIntyre finally connected on a long pass to Radarious Jackson for a 36-yard reception with 9:28 to go in the second quarter. The drive stalled, ending in a 48-yard Cooper Ranvier field goal that made it 10-3.

Kentucky came in with the best turnover margin in the SEC, but that didn’t hold. Qua Moss forced a Jovantae Barnes fumble that Kayin Lee recovered, but Tennessee couldn’t capitalize. 

Minchey found success over the middle all game, especially when his line gave him time. He hit Kenny Darby for a 33-yard catch-and-run. Kentucky got to the seven-yard line and settled for a field goal to make it a 10-6 Tennessee lead going into halftime. Minchey completed 16 of 21 passes for 140 yards in the first half.

Tennessee received the second-half kickoff and drove for a 39-yard Ranvier field goal to make it 13-6. On the drive, Brandon converted a third-and-2 with a 29-yard run to the Kentucky 23, and DaSaahn Brame left the game after being injured on an incomplete pass in the end zone.

The Vols and Wildcats traded empty possessions for much of the quarter. Tennessee also lost defensive lineman Tyree Weathersby to an apparent lower-body injury. Then, with 30 seconds left in the third quarter, Moss strip-sacked Minchey, and Mariyon Dye recovered. It was Minchey’s second turnover of the game and gave the Vols the ball in great field position.

Brandon entered and flipped a pop pass to Mike Matthews, who took it around the left end for a 24-yard touchdown and a 20-6 cushion with 13:34 to play. 

The defense stood tall on the ensuing drive, as Carter sacked Minchey on fourth-and-2 near midfield for a turnover on downs. MacIntyre followed with a 34-yard completion to Staley, and Bishop capped the drive with a five-yard touchdown run to make the lead 27-6.

Minchey and Kentucky once again moved the ball down the field. He found Willie Rodriguez for a 38-yard pass to get into the Vols' territory. Rodriguez was a major target for Minchey all night, as was Darby.

With the huge lead, Tennessee served a heavy dose of Bishop and controlled the line of scrimmage. Bishop went on to finish the drive with a five-yard touchdown run to give the Vols a 34-6 lead. Tennessee chewed up 5:22 off the clock, and Bishop finished with 109 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries.

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