With Halloween weekend lining up with a crucial late-Oct Saturday in SEC football, there were being no scares in shop for Tennessee from Kentucky.
Just days in advance of the Higher education Football Playoff releases its initially spherical of rankings, the No. 3 Vols looked the element of a playoff workforce for the eighth-straight week in their all black, “darkish mode” uniforms.
It was sloppy at times, but individuals issues were overshadowed by significant performs from quarterback Hendon Hooker, Jaylin Hyatt, an equally explosive run recreation and an opportunistic defense in Tennessee’s 44-6 gain over the No. 19 Wildcats at Neyland Stadium on Saturday.
Hyatt turned the next participant for Tennessee (8-, 4- SEC) to top a plan report in as many weeks. He assisted established the tone on the Vols’ opening travel by hauling in a Hooker move for a 55-lawn touchdown to tie previous wideout Marcus Nash’s solitary period touchdown reception file (set in 1997) at 13. He then bested that record with his 14th touchdown catch of the season on a 31-garden pass and catch that set Tennessee up 27-6 at halftime.
Hyatt ended up with 5 catches for 138 yards, but he wasn’t the only highlight in a balanced performance from the offense. Operating back again Jabari Compact racked up a game-substantial 78 yards and three scores, which include a 13-garden landing catch when Jaylen Wright rushed for 73 additional yards and a landing.
For the 3rd-straight week, tight close Princeton Fant also designed plays out of the Vols’ backfield, rushing for a 2-property first quarter touchdown to lengthen the direct to 13-6.
Hooker, who finished 19-for-25 passing for 245 yards and three touchdowns, scored on an 8-property keeper that place the Vols up 37-6 in the third quarter.
Kentucky (5-3, 2-3 SEC), which is created close to a robust operate recreation that provides time-consuming drives, experienced alternatives to capitalize on that strategy early. It even labored on the Wildcats’ initially travel which finished in a Chris Rodriguez Jr. touchdown run to pull within just an excess issue at 7-6, but the Vols made even extra alternatives for on their own defensively.
Kentucky quarterback Will Levis entered the activity with five interceptions thrown on the period. He tossed a few into the palms of Tennessee defenders.
The 1st was hauled in by linebacker Juwan Mitchell immediately after a Doneiko Slaughter hit compelled the ball out of Kentucky receiver’s Dane Key’s grasp. It snuffed out a Kentucky travel inside the Tennessee 25.
Interceptions from Brandon Turnage and Slaughter resulted in 10 factors for the Vols in the third quarter.
The secondary constrained Levis to less than 100 yards passing and outside the house of some robust operates in the 1st 50 percent, held Kentucky managing backs to 65 yards hurrying.
Tennessee now turns its focus to an crucial SEC East matchup with No. 1 Ga at Sanford Stadium in Athens upcoming Saturday at 3:30 p.m. (CBS).