Tennessee took care of business against No. 19 Kentucky Saturday night inside Neyland Stadium. The Vols scored the game’s final 37 points on the way to a, 44-6, victory over the Wildcats.
The Vols’ offense was solid in the win but it was Tennessee’s defense and special teams that proved dominant in the victory over Kentucky.
“Defensively, I thought they did an unbelievable job controlling and dominating the line of scrimmage,” Heupel said. “Did a great job matching out guys on the back end. Played real ball tonight and just suffocating defense. It was fun to watch those guys. Special teams did a great job. They created plays here in the early part of the season through their return game and our guys did a great job. Paxton (Brooks) was awesome all night long and our cover units. Offensively, did enough to score enough points to get a good win.”
The numbers from the win were jarring, with Tennessee tallying 217 more yards than Kentucky and Jalin Hyatt totaling 40 more receiving yards than Will Levis had passing yards.
The win sets the stage from a heavyweight fight between Tennessee and Georgia next week in Athens. The nation’s No. 1 spot and, more importantly, the SEC east is up for grabs in Athens.
“Next week is another big test,” Heupel said. “One we’re looking forward to.”
Heupel also discussed the Jaylen Wright’s growth, Cedric Tillman’s return to the field, his team’s work habits and much more.
