The Sports Xchange
Nov 12, 2016
Senior quarterback Joshua Dobbs passed for three touchdowns and added two rushing scores as Tennessee recorded a 49-36 victory over Tennessee on Saturday in SEC play at Knoxville, Tenn.
Dobbs passed for 223 yards and rushed for 147 as the Volunteers (7-3, 3-3 SEC) defeated the Wildcats for the 31st time in the past 32 meetings. Junior running back Alvin Kamara added 128 rushing yards and two scores for Tennessee.
Stanley "Boom" Williams rushed for 127 yards and one touchdown for Kentucky (5-5, 4-4). The Wildcats racked up 443 rushing yards but saw their SEC East title hopes extinguished by the loss and Florida's victory over South Carolina.
The two teams combined for 1,234 yards -- with the Wildcats holding a 635-599 edge.
The Volunteers led by five points in the third quarter before Dobbs connected with receiver Josh Malone on a 51-yard scoring pass with 10:08 left. Nearly seven minutes later, Kamara scored on a 17-yard run to cap a six-play, 96-yard drive to give Tennessee a 35-16 lead.
Kentucky senior Jojo Kemp broke loose on a 71-yard scamper with 12:30 remaining to pull the Wildcats within 13. Dobbs answered with a 45-yard scoring jaunt 39 seconds later to give the Volunteers a 42-22 advantage and Kamara tacked on a 29-yard touchdown run with 7:12 left.
The Wildcats added two scores in the final four minutes -- a 24-yard run by sophomore Sihiem King and a 2-yarder by junior quarterback Stephen Johnson.
Dobbs threw two touchdown passes in the first half as Tennessee held a 21-13 lead.
Dobbs connected with junior receiver Josh Smith on a 24-yard score in the opening quarter and later hit junior tight end Ethan Wolf from 10 yards out with 6:27 left in the half to account for the score at the break.
Williams scored on a 10-yard run in the first quarter prior to Dobbs' scoring toss to Malone. Junior Austin MacGinnis kicked a 37-yard field goal with 3:31 left in the quarter to make it 10-7 and give the Wildcats their lone lead of the contest.
Dobbs' 1-yard keeper with 1:30 remaining put the Volunteers ahead to stay.