Kentucky football (3-6, 1-6 SEC) came up short against No. 7 Tennessee (7-1, 4-1 SEC) by a score of 28-18.

The Wildcats entered the matchup coming off their third straight loss, whereas the Vols were coming off their bye week and were in action for the first time since their 24-17 win over then No. 7 Alabama.

With the loss, the Cats have now lost four straight matchups to Tennessee.

Tennessee won the toss and elected to defer to the second half, which meant the Wildcats would get the first chances on offense.

Brock Vandagriff was back under center as the starter after being benched last week in the loss to Auburn.

The Wildcats defense looked to be reeling as the Vols gained 80-yards quickly, but thanks to a penalty and a defensive stand, Tennessee was forced to try a 43-yard field goal that hooked wide left.

Now with a lead, the defense came out and forced a punt to give the ball back to the offense with a chance to build upon their lead.

They were unable to do so as a promising drive was spoiled by a Vandagriff interception as a pass intended for Hardley Gilmore IV was picked off by Andre Turrentine.

Kentucky’s next drive on offense ended with a punt early in the second quarter as the Vols tried to claw back into the game.

Tennessee continued moving the ball right down the field, but Max Gilbert missed his second field goal of the game.

The Wildcats offense basically surrendered a drive by giving up two costly penalties that forced a punt.

Vandagriff and company regained some momentum and took a drive deep into Tennessee territory as the two-minute timeout stopped play.

Nico Iamaleava and the Vols tried to run a few plays before half but ran out of time before they were able to attempt a Hail Mary.

Due to deferring after winning the coin toss, the Vols got the ball out of the locker room and quickly marched into the redzone.

This drive would not result in points for Tennessee as Gilbert missed his third field goal of the game.

The Vols took advantage of the turnover and field position quickly by punching it in by using the legs of Dylan Sampson, which gave them a 14-10 lead.

Kentucky’s offense stalled on its next drive, which forced a punt and gave the ball back to the Vols who looked to build upon their lead.

The Wildcats defense got a measure of revenge as they forced a punt.

After taking a hard hit on the previous drive, Vandagriff exited the game, and Gavin Wimsatt took over at quarterback.

The Vols took full advantage of the turnover as they found the endzone in just two plays, which extended their lead to 21-10.

Now trailing by three, the Wildcats defense forced a punt, and it was not a good one as it only traveled 34-yard to the Kentucky 34-yard line.

The Vols took advantage of the punt as they moved down the field and scored a touchdown that extended their lead to 28-10.

The Wildcats comeback efforts fell short as they drop their fourth consecutive conference game.

Following the loss, Kentucky will head into its second bye week of the season before returning to action on Nov. 16, when it will host Murray State at Kroger Field with kickoff scheduled for 1:30 p.m. ET.