Tennessee Still Too Much for UK's Improved Passing Game
Updated: Oct 30, 2023
By Jamie H. Vaught
Kentucky quarterback Devin Leary and his team of talented receivers put on a magnificent show with their explosive passing game Saturday night at Kroger Field.
But their best performance of the season still wasn’t enough as No. 21 Tennessee stopped the Wildcats 33-27.
The loss dropped UK’s overall record to 5-3 (2-3 in SEC), while UT improved to 6-2 (3-2 in SEC).
Leary, a senior transfer from North Carolina State, completed 28 of 39 passes for a season-high 372 yards, including two touchdowns, with no interceptions.
On his improved passing game, Leary said, “It goes back to when I first got here in the spring, we put in a lot of work of making sure we get those extra reps after practice, making sure we are watching film together. Today it was good to see that we were able to connect a little bit and a guy like Dane (Key) and really all our receivers, you get the ball in our hands and those guys go and make plays.”
A sophomore wide receiver from Lexington’s Frederick Douglass High School, Key posted seven receptions for 113 yards, both career highs, including a seven-yard TD catch. His seven receptions are a single-game high for UK this season.
Sophomore wide receiver Barion Brown, who is from Nashville, caught five passes for 58 yards, including a spectacular 11-yard TD reception in the second quarter.
“We felt good as an offense," said Key. "It could have been better, but I feel like we are starting to click. We saw it at practice. [There was] a lot of excitement at practice and a lot of energy. I feel like that’s really what helped us play so [well] tonight. That’s the main goal for next week: to keep that energy, transfer it over to next week, and keep building.”
The loss to rival Tennessee, however, was very disappointing.
“It’s frustrating," said Key. "It’s sickening, actually. We have to take it on the chin. We have to come in tomorrow, flush it, watch the film, and come back ready to prepare like we did last week and do the same thing this week.”
Added Leary, “I mean it’s frustrating regardless who plays well. The overall goal is to win the game. I’ve always looked at football that way, whatever coach needs me to do, whatever the team needs me to do, I’m willing to do it. Walking away with a loss today puts a sour taste in your mouth a little bit but now it’s back to the drawing board. You can’t praise yourself too much for coming off a something that ended in a loss. There’s still room for improvement and we got to get back to work tomorrow and build off this.”
UT leads the series 84-26-9, including three straight victories over the Wildcats.
Looking ahead, Kentucky has four games remaining on the schedule with three on the road. The next game is Saturday, Nov. 4 when the Cats meet Mississippi State in Starkville for a 7:30 p.m. (ET) matchup on SEC Network.
Tennessee returns home to face UConn at Neyland Stadium Saturday in Knoxville. The 12 noon game will be seen on SEC Network.
Jamie H. Vaught, a longtime sports columnist in Kentucky, is the author of six books about UK basketball, including recently-published “Forever Crazy About the Cats: An Improbable Journey of a Kentucky Sportswriter Overcoming Adversity." He is the editor and founder of KySportsStyle.com Magazine, and a professor at Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College in Middlesboro. You can follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @KySportsStyle or reach him via email at KySportsStyle@gmail.com.
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