Dylan Sampson ran for 141 yards and two touchdowns, setting Tennessee’s single-season mark for rushing scores, to help the No. 7 Volunteers beat Kentucky 28-18 on Saturday night in Knoxville, Tenn.
Nico Iamaleava completed 28 of 38 passes for 292 yards and one touchdown as the Volunteers (7-1, 4-1 SEC) won their third straight game. Miles Kitselman caught six passes for 97 yards and a touchdown and Peyton Lewis added a rushing score.
Sampson, who finished with 27 carries, established the mark with his 19th rushing touchdown of the season with 4:55 left in the game. He broke the record of College Hall of Famer Gene McEver (18 in 1929).
The Wildcats (3-6, 1-6) lost their fourth straight game.
Kentucky’s Brock Vandagriff completed 10 of 17 passes for 123 yards with one touchdown and one interception before leaving in the third quarter. He was injured while being sacked by Tennessee’s James Pearce Jr. with 7:11 remaining in the quarter.
Gavin Wimsatt took over at quarterback for Kentucky and was 4-of-10 passing for 69 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Jamarion Wilcox rushed for 102 yards on 17 carries for the Wildcats.
Tennessee took advantage of good field position twice in the third quarter to turn a three-point deficit into a 21-10 lead.
Joshua Josephs sacked Vandagriff and forced a fumble that was recovered by Jeremiah Telander at the Wildcats’ 28-yard line.
Five plays later, Sampson scored on a 7-yard run to put the Volunteers ahead with 8:28 left in the third quarter.
Later in the quarter, Wimsatt was at quarterback and the Wildcats were at the Tennessee 27. Wimsatt’s third-down throw was intercepted by Will Brooks, who sailed 67 yards to the Wildcats’ 10.
Two plays later, Iamaleava tossed a 6-yard scoring pass to Kitselman to give the Volunteers an 11-point lead with 33 seconds left in the quarter.
Kentucky pulled within three early in the fourth quarter when Wimsatt tossed a 32-yard touchdown pass to Ja’Mori Maclin and then connected with him again on the two-point conversion throw to trim the Wildcats’ deficit to 21-18.
Sampson scored on a 6-yard run with 4:55 left. He appeared to be stopped at the 3 before a rugby scrum ensued and several Tennessee players pushed him through for the score.
Kentucky led 10-7 at halftime.
Vandagriff connected with Josh Kattus on a 27-yard scoring pass with 5:28 left in the first quarter.
Sampson was benched for the second quarter after losing a fumble late in the first quarter so it was Lewis scoring on a 1-yard run to tie the score with 4:45 left in the first half. Kentucky’s Alex Raynor kicked a 32-yard field goal with 30 seconds left in the half.
–Field Level Media
