Morris, defense lead No. 16 Tennessee past No. 8 Kentucky, 34-6

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Daune Morris had an 66-yard touchdown run in the first quarter and No. 16 Tennessee’s stifling defense shut down No. 8 Kentucky 34-6 on Saturday night.

The Volunteers (7-2, 4-2 in Southeastern Conference) are very much alive in the College Football Playoff race. They came in No. 13, while the Wildcats (7-2, 4-2), who had their six-game winning streak snapped, were No. 6.

Tennessee had eight tackles for loss and forced three turnovers. Kentucky came into the game with one of the best turnover margins in the country.

DeSean Bishop rushed for 109 yards and two touchdowns.

Kentucky’s Kenny Minchey threw for 224 yards.

Morris’ 66-yard scoring burst late in the first quarter was the difference in the first half as Tennessee led, 10-6.

The Vols scored 17 straight second-half points to put the game away. The highlight was quarterback Faizon Brandon coming off the bench in spot duty to toss a 24-yard shovel pass to Mike Matthews for a TD.

The takeaway

Kentucky: The Wildcats’ path to the College Football Playoffs just got more difficult. Losing to Tennessee takes away any margin for error they might have had coming into the game. … Neyland Stadium turned out to be a difficult place to play. … The Vols’ aggressive defense caused Kentucky’s offense some problems.

Tennessee: The Vols used motivation from the fact that Alabama, a team they had beaten by 16 points a few weeks ago, was ranked No. 5 in the first College Football Playoff poll. … This was the second “signature” victory Tennessee has gotten this season. … Its loss to South Carolina two weeks ago was a difficult part of the playoff formula.

Up next

Kentucky: At Florida on Saturday.

Tennessee: At Texas A&M Saturday.

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