At the end of the first quarter, Tennessee was in the red zone for the first time, but the Vols held a 7-6 lead as Kentucky was able to trade touchdowns with the No. 3 team in college football. It appeared that the Cats had eaten the first punch and were in a great position to get into a close game late in Neyland Stadium.
However, the second quarter quickly turned into a disaster as Kentucky wasted a couple of scoring chances and gave Tennessee a very short field to turn a two-possession game into a three-possession after what appeared to be a strong close to the half by the defense.