A WILD ONE: Cats fall despite record-setting show (see post game notes)

Stoops won't lay blame on missed penalty, time management

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ/AP) – It was one for the books — literally — as Kentucky set a number of records, including three trade sold-out games, but it wasn’t enough for a victory in one of the most unusual college football games of the year (Click here for total wrap up UK_Tennessee_FinalBook_11062021).

Even for a team that’s embraced a fast pace, Tennessee’s efficiency against No. 18 Kentucky was something to behold.

Especially the little time Hendon Hooker needed to move the Volunteers up and down the field.

Hooker threw a career-high four touchdown passes, including a 6-yard insurance score to Cedric Tillman early in the fourth quarter, and Tennessee held off the Wildcats 45-42 on Saturday night to halt a two-game skid.

The Volunteers (5-4, 3-3 Southeastern Conference) emerged from a bye to strike quickly in a back-and-forth game between border rivals that totaled 1,073 yards combined. They needed just four plays and 37 seconds to score their first two TDs, drove 35 yards in 16 seconds for a go-ahead field goal before halftime, and used only 37 seconds on the way to another go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter.

The Vols were outgained 612-461 and held the ball for just 13:52, but made the most of it before a sellout crowd in hostile territory. Many spectators had barely settled into seats when Hooker tossed his first TD pass to Javonta Payton on the game’s first snap.

“We scored extremely quickly on some big plays and even when we didn’t, we move the ball down into plus-red zone territory and end up fumbling,” Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said. “It’s just really unique how the game really unfolded.”

Hooker’s final TD to Tillman with 11:40 remaining proved to be the biggest as Kentucky (6-3, 4-3) got within a field goal on Will Levis‘ 24-yard touchdown toss to Izayah Cummings. The Wildcats got one last chance after Chase McGrath‘s missed field goal but couldn’t take advantage, turning the ball over on downs with 29 seconds left.

It was Tennessee’s first win over a ranked opponent since 2018, also against Kentucky.

Alontae Taylor came up with Tennessee’s biggest defensive play with 6:23 left in the third, reading Levis perfectly to jump a route for a 56-yard interception return for a touchdown that gave the Volunteers their first 10-point lead.

“I knew I had the flats the whole time, so I just baited him into that,” Taylor said. “As soon as I saw his shoulders turn, I just drove on it because I knew that was my responsibility and I had help over top.”

Kentucky pulled to 38-35, but Hooker answered with a 6-yard scoring pass to Tillman that provided breathing room. The Wildcats dropped their third consecutive game.

Hooker completed 15 of 20 passes for a career-best 316 yards with TDs to Javonta Payton, Velus Jones Jr., tight end Jacob Warren and Tillman. Jabari Small rushed for a 37-yard TD as Tennessee bounced back from losses to then-No. 13 Mississippi and then-No. 4 Alabama, avoiding consecutive losses to Kentucky for the first time since 1976-77.

“They’re the best receiving corps in the nation, in my opinion,” Hooker said of his targets. “They made big plays when they needed, and if it’s 1-on-1, it’s a mismatch automatically.”

Hooker, a graduate transfer from Virginia Tech, topped his previous best of 311 yards passing against Virginia in 2019. He threw for three TDs at Alabama two weeks ago.

Levis threw for 372 yards and three touchdowns for Kentucky, which stayed competitive with several long, time-consuming drives among a remarkable 99 snaps. He also ran for two scores. But the Wildcats’ defense couldn’t slow Hooker or the Volunteers’ high-speed offense, which scored on three consecutive second-half possessions to stay ahead.

“Very difficult loss,” Kentucky coach Mark Stoops said. “Not sure I’ve been a part of one like that. So good in so many ways but not so good on other things.”

DOING IT ALL

Levis rebounded in some respects with pinpoint throws and versatility, particularly during a three-play sequence in the second quarter in which he completed a 31-yard pass, caught a 15-yard pass and made an 8-yard leap for a TD. He even hurdled a defender for a 5-yard gain in the third.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Kentucky’s home loss will probably cost the Wildcats at least a few spots in the poll — and possibly their Top 25 ranking altogether.

THE TAKEAWAY

Kentucky dominated in almost every statistical category and mounted long drives that had the Vols on their heels. The Wildcats even appeared to seize momentum with a 21-14 lead. But none of that mattered as the defense couldn’t slow down Tennessee, and the offense couldn’t play catch-up.

UP NEXT

Tennessee hosts top-ranked Georgia on Nov. 13.

Kentucky visits last-place Vanderbilt in its SEC finale on Nov. 13.

KENTUCKY FOOTBALL POSTGAME NOTES

KENTUCKY VS. TENNESSEE  

KROGER FIELD – LEXINGTON, KY.

NOV. 6, 2021

FINAL SCORE: Tennessee 45, No. 18/17 Kentucky 42

Team Records and Series Information

• Kentucky is 6-3 overall, 4-3 in the Southeastern Conference. Tennessee is 5-4 overall, 3-3 in the SEC.
• Tennessee leads the series 82-26-9.  With 117 total games played, it is the third-most played rivalry in Southeastern Conference.
• Kentucky had its third straight sellout crowd tonight, first time that has happened since the 2009 season.  Attendance was 61,084.
• Next for Kentucky: the Wildcats are at Vanderbilt on Saturday, Nov. 13. Game time is 7 p.m. EST (6 p.m. CST in Nashville) and it will be telecast on ESPN2. 

Team Notes

• Kentucky ran 99 offensive plays tonight, a school record for a regulation-length game.
  • The old record was 95 plays vs. LSU in 1997.  The overall record is 110 plays in the four-overtime game vs. Tennessee in 2007.
• Kentucky had 35 first downs tonight, third-most in school history and second-most for a regulation game.
• Kentucky had 612 yards total offense, most since 635 yards at Tennessee in 2016.
• This is the first time in school history that UK had scored at least 41 points in a regulation game and lost.  Prior to tonight, Kentucky was 119-0 when the Wildcats scored at least 41 points in regulation.
• Kentucky broke a streak of six consecutive wins in games decided by seven points or less, including 4-0 this season.
  • Since the beginning of the 2016 season, Kentucky is 19-8 (.704) in games decided by seven points or less.
• With Chris Rodriguez Jr. rushing for 109 yards tonight, it is the seventh-consecutive home game vs. Tennessee that UK has had a 100-yard rusher.
• This is the fourth time in school history that UK has had a 350-yard passer, 150-yard receiver and 100-yard receiver in the same game and the first time since Auburn in 2015.
• This is the first time that UK has had two players with seven catches against an SEC opponent since Randall Cobb and Raymond Sanders vs. Georgia in 2010.
• Coach Mark Stoops is now 55-53 at Kentucky.  After two games of the 2016 season, his record was 12-26 but has gone 43-27 (.614) since.
• Stoops extended his school record for total games coached with 108.  He is in his ninth season as head coach of the Wildcats, tying Fran Curci (1973-81) for most seasons as head coach at UK. 

Player Notes

• Junior quarterback Will Levis accounted for 419 yards total offense and five touchdowns.

• • He completed 31 of 49 passes for a career-high 372 yards and three touchdowns.
  • Despite being sacked three times, he rushed 15 times for a net 47 yards and two TDs.
  • It is the most passing yards for a Wildcat since Patrick Towles threw for 390 yards vs. Mississippi State in 2014.
  • It is the most yards total offense since Towles had 466 (390 passing, 76 rushing) vs. Mississippi State in 2014.
  • He is the first Wildcat to have at least 15 rushing touchdowns and five rushing TDs in one season since Jared Lorenzen in 2003.
  • He now has two games this season with three passing touchdowns and two rushing TDs in the same game, the only Wildcat ever to do so.
  • He is the first UK quarterback with at least 30 completions against two SEC opponents in the same season since Mike Hartline in 2010.

• Junior running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. led the Wildcats in rushing with 22 carries for 109 yards.

• • It is his fifth 100-yard game of the season.  He is tied for fifth place in school history in 100-yard rushing games with 11.
  • He has 2,279 career rushing yards, remains in ninth place in school history.

• Junior running back Kavosiey Smoke rushed 11 times for 53 yards and one touchdown.

• • He has 1,239 career rushing yards, 33^rd place on the UK career rushing list.

• Junior wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson set career highs with 13 receptions for 166 yards, including a touchdown.

• • 13 catches ties for second-most in a game in UK history, most since Lynn Bowden Jr. at Missouri in 2018.
  • He is the first UK player with at least nine catches in three straight games since Anthony White in 1998.
  • It is his fourth 100-yard game of the season, sixth of his career.
  • He is UK’s first 100-yard receiver vs. Tennessee since Javess Blue in 2014.
  • 166 yards marks the second-most in school history against Tennessee, behind 170 by Dee Smith in 1987.
  • He has 71 catches this season, seventh on the UK single-season list and most since Randall Cobb in 2010.

• Senior wide receiver Josh Ali caught seven passes for 74 yards.

• • He has 1,177 receiving yards in his career, advancing to 26th place in UK history.

• Sophomore tight end Izayah Cummings set career highs with four catches for 75 yards, including the second touchdown catch of his career.  He also caught a 28-yard pass on a 4^th-and-24 play late in the game.
• Senior linebacker Jacquez Jones made five tackles, including one-half quarterback sack, and had a fumble recovery.
• Senior defensive end Josh Paschal had one tackle, a shared tackle for loss.

• • He has 32.5 tackles for loss in his career, tying Danny Trevathan for sixth place in UK history.

• Sophomore linebacker J.J. Weaver had four tackles, including 2.5 sacks.
• Sophomore safety Vito Tisdale led the Wildcats in tackles with six.
• Senior defensive tackle Abule Abadi-Fitzgerald got the first two sacks of his career, one of which caused a fumble.
• Game captains for today were Josh Paschal, Chris Rodriguez Jr., Marquan McCall and Luke Fortner.

KENTUCKY FOOTBALL POSTGAME QUOTES

KENTUCKY VS. TENNESSEE  

KROGER FIELD – LEXINGTON, KY.

NOV. 6, 2021

Kentucky Head Coach Mark Stoops

MARK STOOPS: Okay. Absolutely incredible football game. Extremely disappointed for our players and our fans. Very difficult loss.

Not sure I’ve been a part of one quite like that where we’re so good in so many ways and absolutely not good enough in so many different ways as well. So a lot of great things to build on offensively. Haven’t had production like that for some time. And it was so good to see.

Defensively, obviously, we have some struggles. And we’ve got to get some things fixed. We are being put on an island on certain situations that we’re not winning enough. We’re not winning enough battles.

You heard me talk about that for years. And a team like that puts an awful lot of stress on you sideline to sideline and then obviously with the vertical passing game. And we didn’t keep up with them. We didn’t tackle very good in space. And we didn’t cover very good.

What I did like about our team as compared to last week when we traded jabs or shots or whatever you want to call it, when we took a punch, I loved the fact that our team responded and came right back.

And defensively did come up with some stops. That gave us a chance. And we came up a few yards short again. Probably — I don’t know, maybe 10 yards for a field goal there. And give them credit, they are playing at an extremely high level in particular on the offensive side and had some tough match ups for us. And we’ve got to play better.

1. Mark, what happened — I mean, the secondary wasn’t giving up yards like this early in the season. I know you had injuries on defense but what exactly is — (no microphone)

MARK STOOPS: I think it’s a variety of things. I think with some of the defensive linemen going down and being thin and inexperience. Again, no excuses. I mean, we will coach better and they’ll play better.

As I told the team, we’ve been a part of so many games where we’ve played so good on one side of the ball, maybe defensively and just come up a little bit short on the other side.

We’re a team. And we’ll stick together. So they’re all big boys. And we can all handle the criticism and, you know, the things that come with it.

But there are injuries. There are some inexperience. Right now — (no microphone) — I mean, a boatload. And we’ve got to bring these guys along.

1. End of the first half, can you just walk us through some of the decision making there?

MARK STOOPS: Yeah. I wish I’d have punted it. Huh? You know, that’s why I punt normally. But I didn’t.

But I thought we’d convert. And I thought it was calculated, again, the way we were not playing great defense, trying to be aggressive, trying to get some points there at the end of the first half.

At the worst case scenario, I wanted to go in 21-21 because we were getting the ball to start the second half, and we’d been moving the ball very effective. And bad decision.

1. (No microphone) — about the missed face mask call in that last drive and then the penalty against you.

MARK STOOPS: Number one, I don’t want to say anything about the missed call or any call, whether it was a missed call or not. But for myself, that’s still no excuse. I can’t do that. I can’t put that on our team in that situation.

Thank God they bailed me out because we wouldn’t even have ran that play had we not been in that situation. That was only for desperation that type of play. So we got that back and got back to first down. Had our opportunity from there. So I appreciate the team bailing me out on that.

But I can’t do that. And as far as, you know, the call or not call, things are going to happen. We have to overcome it and deal with it. I’m not going to sit here and give any headlines.

1. You mentioned the 10 yards there maybe for the field goal. You had the two timeouts. Didn’t hand the ball to Chris.

MARK STOOPS: Fair criticism. We thought about that afterwards. We talked about it. Once we — if we were converting, you know, if we converted that third or fourth, we were going to go to — we talked about trying to split a run there. Would have, could have, should have. Called a really good game and offensively played really well in a lot of ways.

1. A lot of crazy stats in the box score. 99 plays, 600 yards. What was the first thing (no microphone) —

MARK STOOPS: Yeah. That. I think it was obvious, you know, during the game, time of possession was kind of meaningless because we weren’t getting stops. And then when we did get a stop or two, we just — we’ve got to be good enough to go down and score right there at the end. And we were close. We were close. We were really, really close to getting it — finishing it off. And I love the way our team fought back on those.

1. (No microphone) — had some big catches including at fourth and long what do you think this does for his development?

MARK STOOPS: I’d hope for all — the entire offense that it continues to grow and have confidence from this and just a really good game. I mean, Will threw some exceptional passes. Guys were making competitive catches.

And we had — we had them off balance, which is what you’re looking for, that balance we’ve been talking about and being able to run, being physical in the run game, then throwing the ball. And so there’s a lot of good things, a lot to build on and keep on working at.

1. How much of the defensive struggles were caused by Tennessee’s tempo?

MARK STOOPS: I think it’s definitely a factor. With that, the way they go so fast that there’s — it’s extremely difficult to get any type of different style, different calls in. And it goes so fast that, you know, you’ve really got to be lined up, locked in, and getting the calls, and then executing them.

But then you have to win. You have to win. Because they have good balance as well. They’re going to run it and run it effectively, but then put you in those one-on-one situations outside. And, again, I knew they were going to hit some, but we have to win some more. We have to win our fair share of one on ones.

1. In the run game, if they made it past just the first line, there wasn’t anybody for 20 yards. Can you just describe that phenomenon?

MARK STOOPS: A lot of it is because of those splits that they have, if you see how wide they are. So I think that’s a big piece of it is they stretch out, you know, both ways. And there’s a lot of room in there.

It’s like Will did it a time or two to them today. And it’s even, I guess, more exaggerated against that style. That make sense?

You’re all cleared out and you cover the shots, got you covered. And then you split them and there is some room in there, the quarterback. And when you have a quarterback run game or just him making plays with his legs, it’s tough.

1. This venue has treated you guys well. Obviously, this year, another great crowd here tonight. What is it about this game against Tennessee that seems to kind of deliver these big moments?

MARK STOOPS: We were trying to really deliver for them and have a great win from a great game. It really was a great game.

And won’t feel like that to me, especially defensively. But we came up short. And, again, you have to give them credit. We have to play better and do some things better.

1. I know you like Will’s competitiveness, but do you get concerned with him going to the air so many times, jumping and kind of leaving himself vulnerable?

MARK STOOPS: I think he has a pretty good feel for that and is fairly calculated. I mean, it’s a physical game. I appreciate the way he lays it on the line for his team. And he really did some impressive things today with his legs and his arm.

1. What took him so long to get out of halftime?

MARK STOOPS: There was a little issue he was dealing with, injury. And so he was able to come out –

1. Mentioned how difficult it was to work against the simulated tempo. What ultimately was the difference when you got out there? Was it the one-on-one battles you just couldn’t win?

MARK STOOPS: Well, as I think I mentioned, it’s really impossible to simulate their offense. I mean, they do that all day, all the time and do it at a high level. So when you have scout guys looking at cards trying to run that tempo, it’s completely impossible to simulate that.

We did go good against good, as I mentioned, to stress the urgency of getting lined up and just getting calls and the communication part of it. But it’s a different style. We’re competing against our offense, which we’re very familiar with, compared to somebody that you just see once a year.

So, yeah, I think the tempo is definitely a challenge. And I think the one-on-one match ups were a challenge. We missed tackles.

The first play of the game was just a simple bubble screen, but it’s so wide out there, you got one guy completely free. We’ve just got to make a tackle. You know, we’ve got to — again, certain teams, certain match ups, certain things are harder. I’ve got to bring these young guys along in the secondary. We’ve got to recruit. We’ve got to bring some guys in that can help us too.

1. You told us not to worry about Chris. He rebounded nicely.

MARK STOOPS: Yeah. Exactly. And the same with Will. There’s going to be ups and downs. So it’s tough. Look around our league and we’re competing. We’re fighting. Like a lot of people. It’s tough. And those guys are really good players. And we have a lot of confidence in them. And Chris bounced back and had a great game and had some very physical runs in there and same with Will.

UK Student-Athletes

#94, Abule Adabi-Fitzgerald, DL

On how the tempo affected them…

“Not very much, we prepared for it all week, so it wasn’t much of a problem for us. We just have to play better as a team, we have to come together more, play harder and better and learn from our mistakes.”

On the rivalry between Tennessee and Kentucky…

“We came into this game with the mindset that we were going to win, we didn’t obviously win it but it hurts. We are going to learn from it and we are going to keep working and keep moving on.”

On what the environment was like on the sidelines…

“No, we stayed motivated, we had faith. We just kept that same mindset. We were going to win the game and come out with a victory.”

On what he believes it means to play harder…

“As in just keep playing harder and getting better. In other words, watch more film, do everything we can to win the next game. Go in and just have faith, and the only way we are going to have faith is keeping our mindset up and keep getting better. There’s nothing else to it.”

#7, Will Levis, QB

On what his motivation was coming into this game after the Mississippi State game…

“When you have a game like I did last week it’s definitely motivation. I’m just trying to take it to the next level. I think I have a good work ethic, but regardless how good your work ethic is, you can always be better.”

On what the official said to him about his face mask being pulled…

“I thought my facemask was pulled. The ref didn’t say anything. Sometimes things don’t go your way. I was upset in the moment, but hey, you’ve got to get into the next play.”

On what his first Kentucky-Tennessee rivalry game experience was like…

“I didn’t know how big the rivalry was until I got here. It’s pretty epic. I’ve only been here since May, and I really don’t like them. It’s fun to be a part of a rivalry like that. They got us this year, but I’m looking forward to going down there next year and getting them back.”

#1, Wan’Dale Robinson, Wide Receiver 

On what was going right for the offense…

“We were just able to start clicking. We able to throw the ball pretty well, much better than our recent games and things like that. We were out there clicking and executing for the most part but we just need to be better.”

On the feeling of the offense playing well often but not score enough to win…

“I mean, we could have done a little bit more. That’s what it is. Just going back to watching film and to be able to see the little things we could have done here and there that could have put us over that edge so whether that be on offense for us or even on defense can say the same thing about them too.”

On the drive right before half and not being able to score…

“Just got to execute. I mean, that’s really what it is. I know right before that half I had two big ones and I put those on myself. Those are routine for me but at the end of the day, I got to make those. That way if they didn’t get those three points at the end of the half, you see what the score would have ended up being.”

 #5, DeAndre Square, LB

On ranking this loss…

“I don’t really rank them. They are all tough to me. I don’t like losing so when we lose, I have the same mindset. I am just ready to get back to work on Sunday and Monday.”

On miscommunication and errors…

“They run tempo. So of course, we are going to have some type of miscommunication issues. It’s tough when the help is towards the loss but we are going to get back on the same page and be better.”

Tennessee Head Coach Josh Heupel

Opening Statement … 

 “Just a great night for our guys man. All the effort, work, that they put into it, really proud of their effort and energy tonight continuing to compete for 60 minutes. There’s a lot of things that we can do better on both sides of the line of scrimmage, but overall really happy. Guys were super excited, the fan base was awesome in the corner of the end zone, and great way to end the night with our defense making a stop there.”

On how Tennessee’s time of possession contrasted with the final score…

“I mean, the uniqueness of the game, the way it unfolded in just the beginning of the game. They had extended long drives. We scored extremely quickly on some big plays. And even when we didn’t, we moved the football down into plus Red Zone territory and ended up fumbling. It’s just really unique how the game really unfolded. I thought overall there are some things that we got to clean up, obviously defensively some third downs that we got get out from the field, quarterback draw hurt us. Obviously, the fourth and 26. Offensively there’s a couple of things. The fumble exchange and then a couple things in the red zone that we got to clean up…”

On Tennessee’s game plan on the first play of the last possession before halftime…

“The style of the game mattered as far as the aggressiveness, them receiving the opening kick in the second half was a part of that as well. You’re able to pick something up, some positive yards on first down that gives you an opportunity, based on time to maybe get a couple more plays to get into field goal range, something not positive happens on the first play, then you’re able to end the half right there.”

On Tennessee having 150 yards in their first four plays of the game…

“I don’t know if we thought those four plays would gain that type of yardage. There’s some things that we thought we could take advantage of. Really high level of execution from guys without the ball in their hands, allow those big plays to happen. You know our third series has some big plays too and we end up fumbling the football. I thought up front, we saw, we recognize the block things extremely well. At times, you know, in particular on some pass protection, we got beat interiorly.”

On Tennessee’s defense getting a lot of stops in the fourth quarter despite how much time they had spent on the field during the game…

“I think just the competitive nature. Their competitive composure, too. Their demeanor, whether something positive or negative happened on the previous drive, their ability to come back over and just kind of reset. Something we talked about; you try to train. But man, for them to do it in this moment against a really good football team on the road speaks to who they are and what they are becoming as a unit. I’m really proud of the way they finished the ball game. Rather not give up the fourth and extra long right there, but I love their ability to reset and go finish it the next four plays.”

Tennessee Student-Athletes

#2, Alontae Taylor, CB

On how nice it was to beat Kentucky …

“It was huge. You know, like you said, last year we didn’t get it done. This year we got it done, fought hard. Really good team over the other side of the ball. A lot of respect to those guys, but we got it done today. You know, that’s just momentum that we’ll take into next season when we play them again.”

On the UT defense’s performance tonight…

“Very poor I would say. Like you said, we had a lot of mistakes we left out there on the field–far from perfect. But at the end of the day, we played 60 minutes. We’ve got a lot of things we have to clean up this week. We’ll take it in, we’ll watch the film, we’ll figure out what we can do better, and, you know, we’ll work on those things. But at the end of the day man, we got the dub. I’m just celebrating with the guys.”

On what goes through his head when the offense scores quickly…

“Not really. It’s just like, ‘hey, let’s go!’ Like, we knew we had a really good offense, man. (The) team is going to score fast and we knew that too. So, you know, when coach says like, ‘we got to get up again,’ Coach Martinez, Coach Banks, and Coach BJ, all of those guys on the sidelines just get us ready to go in again because we know our offense is going to score fast. And like I said, man, just when our numbers are called, we come to play. That’s something we worked on throughout fall camp and things like that.”

#1, Velus Jones Jr, WR

On how much he enjoys playing for Coach Heupel…

“Man, I love coach’s mentality. You know, he’s going to go for forever, he’s going to fight. You know that’s how you can expect that coach is going to fight.
We knew that we were going to get points up on the board, you know everybody just had to follow through with the details and stuff like that. Everybody had to be on point. And so, you know, that’s what happened. We came up with a field goal and that was a huge part of that game. I love coach’s aggressiveness.” 

On Cedric Tillman…

“Oh Ced? Ced is a competitor. He made big strides, like from spring ball to fall camp. His specialty is like the jump ball, deep ball. You know, if it’s in the air, Ced is going to get it, he’s going to stay locked in. He knows that he needs to stay key to his assignments and what he has to do. Like I said, when the ball is in the air, he’s going to get it. He’s a special guy.”