RECAP: Vols skin ‘Cats, 44-6

Another hurdle faced, and another hurdle cleared, as Tennessee dismantled 19th-ranked Kentucky 44-6.

The start of the game looked like it was a hand-picked template for Tennessee wins this season: a first-drive TD and a subsequent three and out by the defense. UT scored the first points of the game on a five-play, 75-play drive with Jalin Hyatt catching a 55-yard TD pass on the fifth play of the game. The defense allowed zero yard on three plays and forced a UK punt.

Three penalties — two on Princeton Fant — killed the second drive and UK tied the game up with a nine-play drive that included five Chris Rodriguez runs. UK missed the extra point and didn’t score again.

The Vols switched things up on their third drive with a 15-play drive that had 13 runs, including a Princeton Fant one-yard rushing TD to cap things off (his fourth of the year). Chase McGrath missed the extra point after a Vols’ penalty backed him up and made him kick it twice.

Tennessee forced another ‘Cats three and out with some good penetration from the defensive line up front. A long, back-shoulder pass that was dropped surely helped, because Doneiko Slaughter never even saw the football in the air. That was a big, early break for UT, since there was nobody other than Slaughter around to possibly make a TD-saving tackle.

At this point, the UT offense was rolling, and marched right down the field again on its third drive of the game — eight plays, 77 yards with a basically bookended by a 35-yard run from Jaylen Wright on the second play of the drive and a Wright one-yard scoring run to end the drive with another touchdown. Bru McCoy, Cedric Tillman and Fant also caught first-down conversion passes en route to the TD.

Kentucky made its first possibly game-changing mistake on its next trip down the field — an 11-play, 58-yard drive ended in a pass to a UK WR who Slaughter HAMMERED as the ball was delivered, and Juwan Mitchell caught it off the carom and returned 48 yards into UK’s side of the field.

Heupel’s offense didn’t do much with the good field position, but Paxton Brooks executed a perfect coffin-corner punt, downing UK at its own two-yard line. UK broke out of its own goalline with a 17-yard JuTahn McClain run, but two pre-snap penalties helped force Kentucky into a punt from its own endzone.

Kalib Perry nearly blocked it, and maybe tipped it, as he came blazing through the line untouched, and UK’s punt went just 18 yards leaving Tennessee with 28 seconds left in the second quarter and the ball at Kentucky’s 35-yard line. Hooker settled for a swing pass to Jabari Small on the first play, and Tennessee had to burn a timeout as Small didn’t get out of bounds. But then Hooker connected with Hyatt for their second TD combo of the game on the next play. With 14 TD catches so far this year, Hyatt tied and broke Marcus Nash’s record of 13 touchdowns set in 1997 during this game, and Tennessee took a 27-6 lead into halftime.

On the first drive after halftime, Tennessee’s defense held God’s Gift to Football Will Levis and the Kentucky offense to three plays for minus-seven yards that included two sacks — one by Da’Jon Terry/ Omari Thomas and one from a Tyler Baron/ Byron Young twist off the right side.

After a Dee Williams 10-yard punt return, the Vols used 10 plays (seven running plays) to go just 29 yards, and Hooker missed two of his three throws on the drive, so UT settled for a 29-yard McGrath FG.

Levis threw his second pick to Brandon Turnage on third-and-seven — a terrible decision with a throw into traffic — and the Vols got the ball back in UK’s territory once again.

Jalin Hyatt left the game with some sort of injury after making the first catch of Tennessee’s possession, and Hooker placed a ball perfectly to the corner of the far endzone, but Squirrel White, in for the injured Hyatt, couldn’t quite make the grab. The Vols had to settle for a FG attempt again, but McGrath doinked a 37-yarder to keep the game’s score at 30-6, Vols. Hyatt ended up returning, and finished the game with five catches on seven targets for 138 yards and two TDs.

Football Jesus Will Levis threw his third pick of the night, this one to Slaughter, and the Vols’ offense got the ball back at their own 42-yard line. Two passes to McCoy, a 25-yard run by Wright and a Hendon Hooker speed-option run resulted in another Vols’ touchdown. At this point, UT had just rattled off a 30-0 scoring run spanning the second and third quarters.

Tennessee tacked on another TD with about eight minutes left in the game on a Hooker-to-Small, 13-yard scoring pass. This score was set up by the defense holding Kentucky to another three and out, totaling minus-one yards, as Byron Young sacked Levis on third down. Again, Kentucky punted out of its own endzone, and we got another peek at the threat Williams poses as a punt returner. He fielded the 45-yard punt and returned it for 34 yards to the UK 13.

Hooker finished 19/25 for 246 yards and three TDs. The rushing attack combined for 177 yards and three TDs on 40 carries as the Vols displayed a balanced offensive attack.

Tennessee held UK to 205 total yards, turned the ‘Cats over three times, held Kentucky to 2/13 on third downs and had four sacks and eight tackles for loss. The Vols also scored on five of their six red-zone opportunities.

The Vols travel to Athens next week to take on unbeaten, No. 1 ranked UGA in a game that has SEC Championship, College Football Playoff and National Championship implications. Let that sink in.