Live Updates, Score, Game Notes: No. 19 Kentucky-No. 3 Tennessee

Live coverage from Neyland Stadium as the Wildcats look for the biggest win of the Mark Stoops era
Live Updates, Score, Game Notes: No. 19 Kentucky-No. 3 Tennessee
Live Updates, Score, Game Notes: No. 19 Kentucky-No. 3 Tennessee

No. 19 Kentucky (5-2, 2-2 SEC) looks to hand No. 3 Tennessee (7-0, 3-0) its first loss of the season under the lights inside Neyland Stadium. 

Wildcats Today will have all of your live coverage from Knoxville right here, including game notes, score updates, notes and more. 

FINAL SCORE: 44-6 TENNESSEE

FOURTH QUARTER

Kentucky Drive 12: False start to open the drive, once again.

Long drive for the Wildcats, chewing what little clock remains. Kentucky is stopped on 4th down, Tennessee to kneel, ending the game. Vols crush the Cats 44-6.

Tennessee Drive 11: TOUCHDOWN: Jabari Small with a 13-yard score from Hooker. PAT is GOOD. Not much blue left in Neyland.

Kentucky Drive 11: Kentucky goes three-and-out. Ensuing punt gets taken back to the UK 13. Misery compiler. 

Tennessee Drive 10: 3rd down, Hooker finds Hyatt wide open down the sideline for the third time, this time for 39 yards.

Tre'vonn Rybka gets a nice sack on Hendon Hooker, now 4th and 20 for the Vols. Tennessee to kick another field goal. Instead taking a delay of game, UT to punt away.

Kentucky Drive 10 Con't: 2nd and 13, false start on the Cats. Levis' pass on 2nd down is incomplete short. 3rd down, Levis rolls right, lofts a pass to McClain but it falls incomplete. 

Kentucky punts. 

THIRD QUARTER

Kentucky Drive 10: McClain gets a few yards on 1st down. Levis slings a screen to Barion Brown, who dashes for eight yards, moving the chains.

RB screen goes to McClain on the next play, he gets popped for a loss of five. Screen to Robinson gets seven yards back. Chris Lewis is down after the play clutching his right leg. He's helped off the field, not putting pressure on the leg.

3rd and 8, Levis finds McClain over the middle but just for four yards, Kentucky to go for it on 4th down. 4th and 4, Levis finds Jordan Dingle to move the chains.

END OF Q3 

Tennessee Drive Nine: Hooker completes to McCoy over the middle of the field for 16 yards. Next play goes for nine yards to the UK 33. 

Jaylen Wright with an impressive run for Tennessee up the middle. Kentucky is wilting.

TOUCHDOWN: Hooker keeps it on a read option, spinning into the end zone. This one's all over. PAT is GOOD.

Tennessee 37, Kentucky 6, Q3 3:58 

Kentucky Drive Nine: Second play of the drive, INTERCEPTION: Levis goes deep, gets picked off for the third time tonight.

Tennessee Drive Eight: Hooker goes deep, Squirrel White almost comes up with the touchdown catch. 

Two plays later, Hooker goes to White once again with the same call, White again can't come up with the catch. 

FIELD GOAL NO GOOD: McGrath doinks a 37-yard attempt off the left upright. Kentucky takes over, down 30-6. Q3, 5:45

Kentucky Drive Eight: Rodriguez is held to no gain on 1st down. They go back to C-Rod, but he gets just two more. 3rd and 7, INTERCEPTION: Will Levis forces a pass on 3rd down, it's picked off by the Vols. UT takes over in UK territory once again.

Tennessee Drive Seven: Hooker's first pass of the half is complete to McCoy, setting up 3rd and short. Small gets the 1st down with a run up the gut. 

Following a Hooker overthrow, Small takes two rushes, notching another 1st down. DL Khalil Saunders down after a play. 

Small pushes up the middle for a six-yard rush, now at the UK 11. 

FIELD GOAL: Chase McGrath nails a 29-yard attempt. Tennessee leads 30-6, Q3 8:57

Kentucky Drive Seven: Dingle catches a one-yard pass to open the half. Levis is sacked two plays in a row. Tennessee brought the heat, obliterating the O-line. Kentucky goes 3-and-out.

SECOND QUARTER 

Kentucky Drive Six (0:22): Cats kneel to end the half. 

Tennessee Drive Six (0:44): Hooker's pass in the flat goes for four yards, 28 seconds left. 

TOUCHDOWN: Hooker finds Hyatt WIDE OPEN for the second time tonight, almost identical to the mistake on the first TD of the game. PAT is GOOD. Tennessee 27, Kentucky 6, 0:22 Q2

Kentucky Drive Five (2:49): No gain for McClain on 1st down. False start on Tashawn Manning keeps the Cats at the goaline. 

Huge C-Rod-esque run from JuTahn McClain moves the chains for the Wildcats, 16 yards. Levis' next pass is almost intercepted. Next pass goes to Barion Brown on a screen, he gets four yards. Another false start, this time on Jeremy Flax. 

Kentucky to punt back to Tennessee with 44 seconds left. Any amount of time is too much for the Vols offense. Goodfellow's punt is nearly blocked, it's marked at the UK 35.

Tennessee Drive Five (4:29): J.J. Weaver sacks Hooker for a loss of nine on 1st down. Hooker scrambles to his left on 2nd down, getting 10 yards back. 

3rd and 9 at the UK 48, Hooker's pass intended for Hyatt comes up short. Volunteers will punt, Kentucky stops the bleeding for now. Fantastic punt from Tennessee, Kentucky will have 2:49 to drive 98 yards.

Kentucky Drive Four (11:07): Rodriguez barrels to his left for a 15-yard gain to open the drive. JuTahn McClain gets his first carry of the game on the next play, fighting for two yards. 

Kentucky finally does some damage with a screen of its own, McClain rumbles down the right sideline for a big gain across the 50. Levis hits Jordan Dingle on the next play for 12 yards. 

Rodriguez takes the next two snaps, totaling just three yards. Levis hits Robinson on a slant, he's just short of the 1st. Levis keeps it on 4th, moving the chains. Sneak was under review, the ruling stands. 

1st and 10 at the UT 15, Rodriguez takes a pitch for a gain of three. C-Rod gets no gain on 2nd down. 

INTERCEPTION: Dane Key is hit as he catches a slant from Levis, the ball goes up in the air and lands in the arms of Juwan Mitchell, who runs it back 48 yards. Brutal for the Wildcats.

Tennessee Drive Four (13:54): Hooker keeps a designed run on 1st, gets five yards. 

Jaylen Wright runs for a big gain across the 50. Hooker connects on back-to-back passes, the latter going to Bru McCoy for 13 yards. UT now in the red zone. Hooker completes two more passes getting to the UK 1, next play, TOUCHDOWN: Jaylen Wright with a two-yard run. Hendon Hooker carved the UK defense that drive. PAT is GOOD. Tennessee leads 20-6

Kentucky Drive Three: The ensuing kickoff went out of bounds, UK opens at its own 35. Rodriguez gets nothing on 1st down. Next play, Levis is rushed and spikes it. 

Tayvion Robinson just dropped a bomb from Will Levis. Kentucky to punt. Perfect throw from Levis, tough, tough, tough for the Wildcats. Kentucky has already committed 15 points worth of mistakes tonight. Blown coverage, missed extra point, dropped deep ball. Cannot do that against the No. 3 team in the country and get away with it.

Tennessee Drive Three Con't: 3rd and goal at the 2, TOUCHDOWN: Princeton Fant runs in untouched for Tennessee's second TD of the night. 15-play, 75-yard drive for the Vols.

2nd attempt for the PAT is NO GOOD. The Vols were called for holding on the first attempt. 

FIRST QUARTER

Tennessee Drive Three: Small runs for seven on 1st down. He gets a 1st down on his next run, running through a big hole.

3rd and 4, Hooker scrambles up the middle, dives for the 1st and is right at the marker. He was ruled short, but the Vols ran hurry up and sneaked for the 1st.

Pass interference on Dru Phillips, tough penalty for the Cats. Tennessee now at the UK 35. another big run for Small, he gets another 1st down. 

Kentucky stands up UT for three plays, but the Vols go for it again on 4th down and Small converts. 

2nd and 5, Dru Phillips saves a touchdown with a great tackle at the UK 2. END OF Q1

Kentucky Drive Two:  LB DeAndre Square returned to the sideline. 

Rodriguez gets seven yards on 1st down. Levis goes play-action on 2nd, his pass is tipped, incomplete. 3rd down, Levis zips one to Dane Key to move the chains. 

Levis drops a beautiful pass down the left sideline to Jordan Dingle on a wheel route for 24 yards. Kentucky into UT territory. Kentucky now in the red zone after a great cut and run from Rodriguez.

Rodriguez bounces out to the left for a powerful 16-yard run, UK at the UT 2. Kentucky opts to pass on 1st and goal, nothing doing so Levis ties to scurry up the middle, gets popped for a loss of one.

TOUCHDOWN: Chris Rodriguez gets in the end zone for a huge answer by the Wildcats. The PAT is BLOCKED. Special teams on the road continue to be awful. Tennessee leads 7-6.

Nine plays, 68 yards, 4:45 drive for Kentucky. Those are what UK needs to stay in this one. And make extra points, of course...

Tennessee Drive Two: OPI on the first play of the drive for the Vols. A lot of screens from UT's offense so far. Hooker's 1st down pass is behind the receiver, Jabari Small runs for six on the next down. 

False start on Tennessee, now 3rd and 24 coming up for the Vols. Now holding on Tennessee, third penalty of the drive. Backed up all the way to the UT 18. Hooker runs up the middle for a couple, the UK defense holds. 

Kentucky Drive One: Chris Rodriguez is stuffed for no gain on the first play of the drive. UK goes back to C-Rod on 2nd down, again no gain. 

Levis' 3rd down pass is incomplete. Before the play, Kentucky's leading tackler DeAndre Square headed to the locker room. The Cats go 3-and-out, punting away.

Tennessee Drive One: Three plays for UT to open the game, three passes. Cedric Tillman moves the chains with a 3rd down catch. 

TOUCHDOWN: Busted coverage for the Wildcats, Jaylin Hyatt is WIDE OPEN down the field, Hendon Hooker connects for an early bomb. 55 yards, PAT is good. 7-0 Volunteers.

Five plays is all it took for the Vols to strike first.

PRE-GAME INFORMATION 

Kentucky won the coin toss, deferring to the second half. 

Kentucky is entering tonight with a rather clean bill of health. Wide receiver Tayvion Robinson and right tackle Jermey Flax are back in the lineup for the Wildcats. Linebacker Jacquez Jones remains out. For a full injury report, click here

Tennessee is also welcoming back two important players, safety Jaylen McCullough and wide receiver Cedric Tillman. For more on the pair of Volunteers, click here.

The last time Kentucky visited Neyland Stadium, it was victorious. Tennessee claimed last year's matchup in Lexington, winning a 45-42 shootout. 


Published
Hunter Shelton
HUNTER SHELTON

Hunter Shelton is a writer for Sports Illustrated-FanNation's Wildcats Today, covering football, basketball, baseball and more at the University of Kentucky. Hunter is a Lexington native and has been on the UK beat since 2021.