Tennessee 34, Kentucky 6: Three turnovers and a 240-yard ground game

Kentucky had the ball for more than 35 minutes, ran more plays into Tennessee territory than the scoreboard suggests and still left Neyland Stadium with six points. The difference was simple. Kentucky turned it over three times and settled for two field goals. Tennessee did not turn it over at all and ran for 240 yards.

The game was 13-6 entering the fourth quarter. Tennessee then scored three touchdowns in under 13 minutes, and a one-score contest between two 7-1 teams became a 34-6 result.

How it was won

Tennessee struck first, late in the opening quarter. Daune Morris broke a 66-yard touchdown run with 56 seconds left, and Cooper Ranvier's kick made it 7-0. Morris finished with 85 yards on five carries, most of it on that one play.

The second quarter was a trade of field goals. Adam Zouagui hit from 43 yards for Kentucky, Ranvier answered from 48, and Zouagui added a 25-yarder with nine seconds left in the half. Kentucky went to the locker room down 10-6, having reached scoring range twice in the quarter and come away with six points.

Ranvier's 39-yard field goal early in the third quarter pushed the lead to 13-6. That was the last time Kentucky was within one score.

The fourth quarter belonged to Tennessee. Faizon Brandon found Mike Matthews for a 24-yard touchdown at 13:34. DeSean Bishop scored from 5 yards at 9:45 and again from 5 yards at 1:06. Bishop carried 25 times for 109 yards and both touchdowns, and Ranvier finished with two field goals and four extra points.

The box score shows how lopsided the finish was relative to the flow of play. Kentucky out-gained Tennessee through the air 224 to 149 and had 20 first downs to Tennessee's 14. Kenny Minchey completed 26 of 34 passes for 224 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. Willie Rodriguez caught six passes for 81 yards and Kenny Darby caught seven for 69. CJ Baxter (54 yards) and Jovantae Barnes (48) led a rushing attack that produced 137 yards.

Tennessee needed fewer snaps. George MacIntyre was 9 of 14 for 125 yards, Braylon Staley caught four passes for 50 yards, and the run game did the rest. Tennessee finished with 389 total yards to Kentucky's 361, converted 5 of 12 third downs to Kentucky's 6 of 14, and won the turnover battle 3-0.

Against the number

Tennessee closed as a 6.5-point favorite and covered by 21.5 points. The moneyline had Tennessee at -205 and Kentucky at +170, so the market made the lower-ranked home team a clear favorite despite Kentucky's No. 6 ranking.

The total closed at 49.5. With 40 points scored, the under came in comfortably, helped by a first half that produced just 16 points and a Kentucky offense that never reached the end zone. Full closing prices are on the game page.

What's next

Kentucky falls to 7-2 and hosts No. 24 Florida on Saturday, November 14, on ESPN. It is the Wildcats' second loss of the season, after a 45-17 defeat to Alabama in September, and their first since that game.

Tennessee improves to 7-2 and travels to Texas A&M the same day. The Volunteers rebounded from a 27-24 loss at South Carolina. Kentucky won at Texas A&M 31-21 earlier this season, which gives Tennessee a reference point for a road trip that will shape its standing in the conference.