LEXINGTON, Kentucky (WATE) — The Vols brought home a win Saturday against Kentucky, with the game ending 56-34.

Tennessee wasted no time getting on the board. Joey Aguilar connected with Mike Matthews on back-to-back passes of 14 and 10 yards. Then Aguilar turned to his right-hand man, Chris Brazzell, on a 35-yard score to give the Vols a 7-0 lead just a few minutes into the ballgame. Aguilar finished 4-for-4 on the opening drive.

However, the Vols couldn't get anything going on their second drive of the game, in big part thanks to Aguilar getting sacked for a loss of 11 yards on third down.

Tennessee was able to take a 14-0 lead moments later, thanks to its defense. Kentucky quarterback Cutter Boley's pass was intercepted by Edrees Farooq, who ran it back 45 yards to the endzone for the pick-six. It marked UT's fifth defensive touchdown of the season, which is tied for the nation lead with Louisiana Tech.

Kentucky got on the board quickly after a 71-yard touchdown pass to Kendrick Law to cut into Tennessee's lead, 14-7.

Tennessee quickly regained its 14-point advantage two drives later. The Vols started things off with a deep pass of 47 yards from Aguilar to Brazzell. Star Thomas followed that up with 17 yard run up to the one-yard line. Thomas then punched it in to give the Vols a 21-7 lead. It marked Thomas' first touchdown in SEC play.

The Vols got the ball back moments later after Boo Carter forced a fumble that was recovered by freshman linebacker Jadon Perlotte. It marked Tennessee's second takeaway of the night.

UT was able to take advantage off the turnover as DeSean Bishop punched it in from one-yard out on fourth down. After just 16 minutes of play, Tennessee had already scored 28 points.

However, the Wildcats quickly responded with another chunk play, this time a 56-yard pass from Boley to DJ Miller to pull Kentucky back within 14 points.

Kentucky then made it just a seven-point game as Boley found J.J. Hester in the endzone on a 3-yard score to cut into Tennessee's lead, 28-21.

The Vols got the ball back with 1:37 left on the clock in the first half and got to work. Aguilar connected with Mike Matthews and Braylon Staley on a couple of short passes, while Bishop kept the chains moving on the ground.

Ethan Davis caught his first pass since ETSU on Sept. 6, as he was making his first appearance since the Georgia game after dealing with an injury. The tight end caught a 10-yard pass from Aguilar to get the Vols across midfield. Aguilar then connected with Braylon Staley on a 24-yard pass to put the Vols in the red zone.

Davis then capped off the drive with a 13-yard touchdown catch for his first score of the season. It gave Tennessee a 35-21 lead at the halftime break.

Despite a 14-point advantage, the Wildcats picked up more total yards of offense (281) in the first half compared to the Vols (239). Tennessee managed to record just 29 rushing yards in the first 30 minutes of play.

In the second half, Tennessee started by picking up two more touchdowns. With 10:40 left on the clock, Aguilar made a 62 yard pass to Matthews. After a successful extra point by Max Gilbert, the Vols led 42-21. After an unsuccessful attempt by the Wildcats for a 55-yard field goal, Peyton Lewis picked up a touchdown for the Vols with a two-yard run, followed by another successful extra point by Gilbert, making the Vols lead to 49-21.

The Wildcats came back, with Boley finding Miller for a 28-yard pass that earned Kentucky a touchdown. After a failed two-point conversion, the Wildcats closed the gap slightly at the end of the third quarter to 49-27.

At the start of the 4th, the vols picked up another touchdown with Bishop making a 5-yard rush up the middle to take the score to 56-27 with 13:35 left in the game. Boley made a 7-yard pass to J.J. Hester, which earned the Wildcats a touchdown. With an extra point, Kentucky brought the score to 56-34 with just over eight minutes left on the clock.

In the final possession of the game, the Vols weren't able to make it back up the field. After 12 plays, Tennessee ended the game at Kentucky's 16 yard line.

UP NEXT: The Vols will be back in Knoxville to take on Oklahoma at Neyland Stadium on Saturday, November 1.

News Source : https://www.wkrn.com/sports/tennessee-volunteers/tennessee-brings-home-a-win-against-kentucky/