After a Tennessee opening touchback, Kentucky took the ball at the 25 and drove it down the field 75 yards in 17 plays for a touchdown, taking a whopping 10 minutes and 18 seconds off the clock. 50 of those yards came from Lynn Bowden (42 rushing yards, eight passing yards), with AJ Rose punching it in from the two to take a 7-0 lead.
In the defense’s first drive, Boogie Watson started things off with a bang, forcing a three-yard loss on a pass in the flats. After a short run on second and a pass breakup on third, Josh Paschal blocked the Tennessee punt to put the Wildcats in phenomenal field position at the UT24.