The Tennessee Volunteers kept their College Football Playoff hopes alive Saturday night in Knoxville, defeating sixth-ranked Kentucky 34-6. Tennessee entered the game ranked 13th in the latest CFP rankings.
The Wildcats struggled to move the ball all night. Of their 10 offensive drives, three ended in punts, two on turnovers on downs, two on fumbles and one on an interception. Kentucky managed only two field goals the entire game.
The score stayed close for most of the night, with Tennessee holding a 13-6 lead heading into the fourth quarter. But the Vols pulled away in the final period, turning a Kentucky fumble into a touchdown. Kentucky then failed to convert a 4th and 1 at midfield, and Tennessee needed just two plays on the next drive to extend its lead to three touchdowns.
Kentucky was stopped again, this time at the Tennessee 22-yard line, and the Vols responded with a 78-yard touchdown drive built on 10 consecutive running plays to seal the win.
Tennessee (7-2, 4-2 in SEC play) recorded eight tackles for loss and forced three turnovers against a Kentucky team that had come into the matchup with one of the best turnover margins in the country. Running back DeSean Bishop rushed for 109 yards and two touchdowns in the win.
Kentucky (7-2, 4-2) had its six-game winning streak snapped and saw its playoff path grow considerably harder, with little room left for error the rest of the season.
Tennessee drew extra motivation from the playoff rankings themselves. Alabama, a team the Vols beat by 16 points a few weeks earlier, was ranked fifth in the first CFP poll of the season. The win over Kentucky marks the second so-called “signature” victory for Tennessee this year, helping offset a loss to South Carolina two weeks ago that had complicated its playoff case.
Both teams hit the road next weekend. Tennessee travels to Texas A&M, while Kentucky heads to Florida.
