Five things you need to know from No. 18 Kentucky’s 45-42 loss to Tennessee:
1. Curious Kentucky play calling at the end.
Down 45-42, UK had the ball first-and-10 at the Tennessee 38 with 46 seconds left in the game after Will Levis hit Izayah Cummings with a 28-yard pass on fourth-and-24.
With two timeouts and needing to at least get into field-goal range, Kentucky could have used its running game.
Instead, Kentucky quarterback Will Levis appeared to throw the ball away with DeMarcus Harris running a deep route down the left sideline.
On second-and-10, Levis threw incomplete to a well-covered Cummings.
Still needing at least 7 or 8 yards to get into field-goal range on third-and-10, Kentucky threw again, Levis misfiring in an attempt to hit Harris over the middle.
Now, with no choice but to throw on fourth-and-10, a Tennessee blitz forced Levis into attempting an uncomfortable throw to Cummings near the Tennessee 20.
The throw was nowhere close to completion and that was the ball game.
This will only make Kentucky fans feel worse, but according to Kentucky’s pregame notes package, UK was 130-0 in its history when it scored at least 42 points in regulation until tonight.
2. The end of the first half killed UK.
Tennessee tied the game at 21 on a Hendon Hooker pass to Jacob Warren with 1:14 left in the first half.
Kentucky was due to get the ball first to start the second half, so when the Cats drove the ball to a second-and-4 at the Tennessee 39 with 32 seconds left, it appeared the Wildcats were going to “steal a possession.”
Instead, UK threw three straight incomplete passes and turned the ball back over to Tennessee with 16 seconds left in the half.
That proved just enough time for Hooker to drive the Vols into position for Chase McGrath to boot a 43-yard field goal as time expired on the first half.
That ended up being the difference in the game.
3. The Kentucky defense was gashed.
UK was almost helpless against Tennessee’s up-tempo offense.
Amazingly, Tennessee finished with 38 offensive points on 47 offensive plays (the other seven came on a pick-six by cornerback Alontae Taylor).
The Volunteers scored on “drives” of one play (touchdown), three plays (touchdown), seven plays (touchdown), four plays (field goal), three plays (TD) and three plays (TD).
UK’s defense — which carried the Cats in September — was down three of its starting front seven in nose guard Marquan McCall, tackle Octavious Oxendine and rush end/outside linebacker Jordan Wright.
It showed.
Kentucky dominated time of possession 46:08 to 13:52.
And lost.
UK actually outgained UT 612-461.
This will only make Kentucky fans feel worse, but this is the second time since 2016 that UK has had over 600 yards of total offense vs. UT and lost.
In 2016, the Cats outgained the Vols 635-599 but lost 49-36 at Neyland Stadium.
4. More Rocky Top frustration.
Kentucky failed in its bid to beat Tennessee for a second season in a row and a third time in the past five meetings.
The last time the Wildcats beat the Volunteers in back-to-back seasons remains 1976 (7-0 at Neyland Stadium) and 1977 (21-17 at Commonwealth Stadium).
UK last beat UT three out of five in 1958 (a 6-2 win in Knoxville), 1959 (20-0 in Lexington) and 1962 (12-10 in Knoxville).
All-time, Tennessee is now 29-12 vs. Kentucky in games decided by seven points or less.
5. Stoops reaches an unhappy distinction.
With the loss, Mark Stoops is now 55-53 (since 2013) as Kentucky head coach.
That moves him past Bill Curry (26-52 from 1990 through 1996) as the coach with the most defeats in UK football history.
Of course, Stoops is also only six victories from passing Paul “Bear” Bryant (60-23-5 from 1947 through 1953) as the all-time wins leader in Wildcats football history.
With the loss, Kentucky (6-3, 4-3 SEC) also saw its all-time record as a program drop back to .500 at 635-635-44.
