With Halloween weekend lining up with a significant late-October Saturday in SEC soccer, there were being no scares in retail store for Tennessee from Kentucky.
Just times just before the School Soccer Playoff releases its to start with round of rankings, the No. 3 Vols appeared the component of a playoff team for the eighth-straight 7 days in their all black, “dim manner” uniforms.
It was sloppy at instances, but those issues were being overshadowed by big plays from quarterback Hendon Hooker, Jaylin Hyatt, an equally explosive run sport and an opportunistic defense in Tennessee’s 44-6 earn in excess of the No. 19 Wildcats at Neyland Stadium on Saturday.
Hyatt became the 2nd participant for Tennessee (8-, 4- SEC) to best a plan file in as many weeks. He aided established the tone on the Vols’ opening travel by hauling in a Hooker move for a 55-lawn touchdown to tie former wideout Marcus Nash’s solitary time touchdown reception record (set in 1997) at 13. He then bested that record with his 14th landing capture of the time on a 31-garden go and catch that place Tennessee up 27-6 at halftime.
Hyatt ended up with five catches for 138 yards, but he wasn’t the only emphasize in a balanced general performance from the offense. Running back Jabari Tiny racked up a sport-large 78 yards and a few scores, like a 13-property touchdown capture although Jaylen Wright rushed for 73 more yards and a touchdown.
For the 3rd-straight week, restricted finish Princeton Fant also created plays out of the Vols’ backfield, rushing for a 2-lawn very first quarter landing to increase the direct to 13-6.
Hooker, who concluded 19-for-25 passing for 245 yards and 3 touchdowns, scored on an 8-garden keeper that set the Vols up 37-6 in the third quarter.
Kentucky (5-3, 2-3 SEC), which is built all around a potent operate video game that produces time-consuming drives, experienced possibilities to capitalize on that method early. It even labored on the Wildcats’ 1st push which finished in a Chris Rodriguez Jr. touchdown operate to pull in just an added level at 7-6, but the Vols made even much more possibilities for themselves defensively.
Kentucky quarterback Will Levis entered the match with five interceptions thrown on the season. He tossed 3 into the arms of Tennessee defenders.
The 1st was hauled in by linebacker Juwan Mitchell after a Doneiko Slaughter hit forced the ball out of Kentucky receiver’s Dane Key’s grasp. It snuffed out a Kentucky travel inside of the Tennessee 25.
Interceptions from Brandon Turnage and Slaughter resulted in 10 details for the Vols in the third quarter.
The secondary limited Levis to much less than 100 yards passing and outside the house of some robust operates in the initially 50 %, held Kentucky functioning backs to 65 yards speeding.
Tennessee now turns its concentrate to an essential SEC East matchup with No. 1 Ga at Sanford Stadium in Athens subsequent Saturday at 3:30 p.m. (CBS).
