Prior to the game kicking off, as the broadcast showed the team running through the T, their blacked out Dark Mode jerseys with the bright orange numbering a fitting homage to Halloween occurring recently before the game, the camera panned around the crowd. A student, dressed in a white and red striped shirt, a matching beanie, and glasses, caught my eye. I had found Waldo! It was a fitting thing to see as my son was next to me looking at a Where’s Waldo book, excitedly flipping through pages to locate the shifty vagabond.
While my son looked for Waldo, the rabid fans in Knoxville were looking for an overwhelming win over the visiting University of Kentucky Wildcats. While they didn’t get it in an ugly 28-18 slugfest, they did get to see history being made in a victory over their rival due to the thus far reliable Dylan Sampson, and some game shifting defensive plays.
After being unable to muster a single point in the first half since September, the Tennessee Volunteers were looking to find their offensive rhythm against rival Kentucky. Specifically, Quarterback Nico Iamalaeava needed to rediscover the accuracy and touch on his passes which made the Big Orange offense so dangerous before conference play kicked off. Whether it is Nico regressing, a high caliber defense he was playing against, or the play calling of Head Coach Josh Heupel, something needs to improve for the team. While the struggles remained, Tennessee at least got on the board in the opening 30 minutes of the game, even though they went into the half trailing.
Additionally, the defense was working to maintain their stifling ways, having held every opponent under 20 points through the first two months of the season. The trend continued, with the visiting Wildcats only able to score 18 points on the night, there were some major cracks which showed. The defense was not consistent, gave up some big plays, and were flagged frequently for everything from lining up in the neutral zone to defensive pass interference. But defensive coordinator Tim Banks’ unit also slammed the door on a comeback attempt from Kentucky, forcing a turnover on downs to close out the game.
UK understood what was at stake, and came into Knoxville fighting. Their Head Coach, Mark Stoops, wanted to be the first Kentucky coach to beat a top 10 ranked UT team in Knoxville. The Wildcats immediately blew the doors off the defense, breaking off a run into the red zone on their first play from scrimmage, and even going for it on 4th down on their opening drive. It was a gamble which didn’t pay off, but Kentucky never lost their aggressiveness, taking a lead early and extending it before halftime. The Wildcats went deep multiple times in the fourth quarter, breaking off a few big plays, including a massive scoring strike from backup quarterback Gavin Wimsatt from over 30 yards out and an ensuing 2-point conversion even after a penalty. Despite being ravaged by injuries, facing a hostile environment of over 100,000 Tennessee fans, and being constantly behind the sticks with penalties, Coach Stoops kept his team in the game with some creative play calling in the loss.
Nico was serviceable under, or behind, center, not making major mistakes, but not doing a lot to elevate his team. He was at his best hitting receivers near the sideline short of the sticks, and relied on the pass catchers to run for extra yards. Still, he didn’t turn the ball over while throwing for just under 300 yards and a touchdown, and spreading the ball around to a wide array of his receivers. But he was at his best after Kentucky drew close in the 4th Quarter, both rushing and passing. He scrambled away from pressure, rushed for tough yards, and hit receivers for first downs to help extend their lead, while milking the clock, to secure a win.
Dylan Sampson had a second fumble on the year, the only two in his career. Yet he, too, was still able to overcome his struggles while amassing over 150 yards from scrimmage. He also scored his school record tying 18th scoring rush in the 3rd quarter. But after Kentucky started fighting back to cut the UT lead to only a field goal, Sampson took a handoff from around five yards out, and he ran right into the teeth of the defense. He refused to go down, and the muddled mass of bodies was joined by just about every player on the field. With the Wildcats exhausted by the high pace of the Tennessee offense, the pile slowly started moving, then churning, in Tennessee’s favor. As the speed picked up, Sampson was pushed in a convoy of bodies into the endzone for his record-breaking 19th rushing touchdown on the year. The 19 scores on the ground also set an SEC record for most rushing touchdowns through 8 games, breaking a tie with Derrick Henry and Trent Richardson.
The defense had some great splash plays, with a pair of interceptions from safeties Andre Turrentine and Will Brooks, plus a strip sack from Joshua Josephs which was recovered by Jeremiah Telander, leading to Sampson’s first score of the night. James Pearce Jr, despite an ugly offsides earlier in the evening, barreled through the middle of the UK offensive line to bring down the QB for a drive ruining sack. And with the game on the line, the black and orange clad defense played bully ball, attacking the backup QB behind the line with reckless abandon, preventing any last-ditch effort at a comeback.
Penalties and major miscues also continued to be an issue for Heupel’s team. When Kentucky drove to take the lead just before the close of the first half, the Tennessee defense twice committed penalties to give UK a first down, extending their drive. To end the half, the offense, despite having time to get to the line, get set, and snap the ball, failed to get a last play off before the time expired. The offensive line was standing around, looking for direction, and Nico seemed unprepared to call for the ball despite seeing the clock ticking down. Two UT receivers wrapped up the ball only to drop it upon contact in the endzone. And, worst of all, despite a trio of red zone trips which failed to turn into touchdowns, kicker Max Gilbert missed every attempted field goal on the night.
The win puts Tennessee back in the driver seat of the SEC. With LSU losing last week to Texas A&M, and TAMU blown out by 24 by the South Carolina Gamecocks in the midst of UT’s own victory, Tennessee should be a lock for the SEC Championship game if they can get through their next four games unscathed. Mississippi State and UTEP should be wins, but they are sandwiched around a trip to Athens to face the Georgia Bulldogs. And Tennessee will end their season in Nashville against Vanderbilt, a game which no longer looks to be a locked in win between the offensive struggles and the resurgence of the Commodores.
Next week, the Tennessee Volunteers will face off against the Mississippi State Bulldogs.