Kenny Minchey and the No. 8 Kentucky Wildcats were the latest victims of the Tennessee Volunteers' suffocating defense. The Kentucky football quarterback, who could potentially land in the first round of the NFL draft next year, had a rough game as his offense was limited to a season-low six points in the Vols' decisive 34-6 victory over the Wildcats.
As the game was winding down in the fourth quarter with Tennessee up big, Vols fans were spotted bringing out their belts, signifying the beatdown they just handed to the Wildcats.
Minchey completed an impressive 26 of 34 pass attempts (76.5%) for 224 yards. But he was held without a touchdown and threw just his second interception of the season. The Wildcats didn't help themselves as they also lost two fumbles, one of which resulted in a Tennessee touchdown.
Kentucky didn't trail the Vols by that much in terms of total yards as it finished 389-361 to Tennessee. The Wildcats also dominated the time of possession battle, 35-25. However, those costly turnovers and the inability to convert those drives into points doomed them against the Vols.
It was always going to be tough for Kentucky to get the win in Knoxville, though. Other top quarterbacks in Texas' Arch Manning and Alabama's Keelon Russell found it tough to play at Neyland Stadium given the atmosphere and the Vols' impressive defense this season.
With their six-game win streak snapped, the Wildcats will need to bounce back to finish what has been a promising first season under Will Stein strong. They go back home to Lexington next week to host No. 24 Florida.