Kentucky football (2-5, 0-5 SEC) suffered a 56-34 loss to Tennessee (6-2, 3-2 SEC). This game marks the 10th consecutive loss to conference opponents at Kroger Field.
Three things that stood out in this loss, both good and bad. Two young Wildcats delivered promising performances, while the Kentucky defense struggled mightily with one facet of Tennessee’s high-powered offense.
DJ Miller has arrived
DJ Miller, a true freshman wide receiver, showed glimpses of high potential in the second game of his collegiate career.
Miller committed to Kentucky in November 2024, as a four-star prospect. It was unclear how the Wildcats’ receiver room would shape up heading into the season, but Miller wasn’t part of the plan initially.
Miller made his debut in week eight in the Wildcats’ 16-13 overtime loss to Texas. He was targeted twice, catching both, which totaled 13 yards.
He saw an increased workload against Tennessee and took full advantage. Miller tallied five catches for 120 yards and two touchdowns.
The Vols attempted to press Miller in the second quarter, and he made them regret it. He easily beat his man off the line of scrimmage, and Cutter Boley hit him in stride for a 56-yard touchdown, the first of Miller’s career.
Late in the third quarter, Boley threw it up to Miller in the endzone. Miller snagged the ball out of the air with a leap and a toe tap that secured his second touchdown of the game.
Jason Patterson stepped up in the absence of McGowan
Seth McGowan has been the engine of the Wildcat offense so far this season. Lingering injuries rendered McGowan unavailable in this game, leaving lots of touches to go around.
Redshirt freshman Jason Patterson stepped up in the absence of McGowan and played the best game of his young career.
Patterson split carries with Dante Dowdell, as McGowan usually does. He picked up 51 yards on 16 carries, but where Patterson really stood out was in the passing game.
Patterson served as a security blanket for Boley, leading the team in targets and receptions. Boley found Patterson in the flat to avoid falling victim to the Volunteers pass rush on multiple occasions.
Patterson ended with seven catches on nine targets, totaling 44 receiving yards.
The prevalence of Patterson in both the passing and rushing game allowed him to total 95 all-purpose yards on a team-leading 21 touches.
The Wildcat secondary was no match for the Vols potent passing attack
Joey Aguilar and the Vols rolled up to Lexington and showed why they are amongst the most dangerous offenses in the entire country.
The Vols entered the game leading the SEC in both points per game (44.1) and passing yards per game (310.71). Tennessee ranked top seven in the country in both stats.
The Tennessee offense gave Kentucky’s secondary issues all night long. Kentucky struggled mightily against the Volunteers deep passing attack in particular.
Aguilar ended the game 20-26 for 396 yards and three touchdowns and three Tennessee receivers ended the game with triple-digit yardage.
Chris Brazzell II brought in four catches for 138 yards and a touchdown, three of his receptions were chunk plays.
Mike Matthews ended with 107 yards and a touchdown on six catches.
Braylon Staley racked up 105 yards on six catches, 62 of those yards coming after the catch.
Aguilar was nearly perfect when targeting receivers 15+ yards from the line of scrimmage. When doing so, he completed six of seven passes for 258 yards and two touchdowns.
20+ yard completions by Aguilar:
- 35-yard touchdown to Brazzell II (Q1 13:59)
- 47-yard completion to Brazzell II (Q1 4:00)
- 24-yard completion to Staley (Q2 0:15)
- 62-yard touchdown to Matthews (Q3 10:59)
- 50-yard completion to Brazzell II (Q3 7:08)
- 56-yard completion to Staley (Q3 0:29)
The Wildcats will be on the road in week nine after two disappointing home losses. Kentucky is set to take on Auburn at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 1.
