John Clay's Sidelines

(H-L photo/Mark Cornelison)

Some thoughts and stats from Kentucky’s 30-24 overtime loss to Tennessee:

• Here’s the quick column I did for tomorrow.

• A great second-half team of late, Kentucky wilted in the second half in this one. The Cats were outgained 209-80 in the second half by the victorious Vols. That’s not counting the overtime. Kentucky couldn’t get off the field on defense and couldn’t stay on the field on offense. The play-calling was suspect, especially going away from Randall Cobb down the stretch, though Rich Brooks said that Cobb was beat-up and had to take fluids for dehydration.

• In the past two games, against Georgia and Tennessee, UK was outgained 933-521. Georgia gained 486 yards. Tennessee gained 467.

• The biggest head-scratcher was third-and-five from the Tennessee 8-yard line with under a minute remaining, UK had quarterback Morgan Newton run around right end. It seemed the same play the Cats ran against Mississippi State. The play didn’t work there either. And UK lost that game, as well. On this night, Newton gained just three yards, setting up Lones Seiber’s tying field goal.

• Tennessee’s Montario Hardesty, who had the game-winner, rushed for 179 yards on 39 carries. It was his fifth 100-yard game of the season, and followed a 171-yard effort last week against Vanderbilt.

• This was Tennessee’s first road win of the year. The Vols had lost at Florida 23-13, at Alabama 12-10 and at Ole Miss 42-17. It was also the first time in five games that Tennessee won after trailing at halftime.

• Cobb ended up with 101 yards on 18 carries. He completed a 31-yard pass and caught four passes for 24 yards. He returned a punt 18 yards and a kickoff 43 yards.

• Kentucky ends up 3-5 in the SEC. Tennessee ends up second in the East. The Vols and Georgia tied at 4-4, but UT won the matchup in Knoxville. Kentucky and South Carolina both ended up 3-5, but the Gamecocks are technically fourth thanks to a 28-26 win in Columbia. So with a chance to finish second, Kentucky winds up fifth.

• What does this mean as far as bowls? Hard to tell. The Alabama-Florida winner goes to the BCS title game. The loser goes to the Sugar Bowl. LSU at 9-3 may end up in the Capital One Bowl. After that, it’s a mess. Ole Miss wound up 8-4. Tennessee, Arkansas, Georgia, South Carolina, Auburn and Kentucky are all 7-5.

• The crowd of 70,981 was the sixth-largest in Commonwealth Stadium history.

• Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin: “I think for the most part of the game that we dominated them. We just didn’t seize the opportunities. We gave then an interception for a touchdown right out of the gate and didn’t do very good on kickoff coverage in the first half especially. Then we go down there on the one-yard line and leave the ball with no points. It was discouraging. I was excited the way that we finished and loved the style that the tailback finished in.”

• UK quarterback Morgan Newton was just 10 of 22 for 69 yards. That’s a passer rating of 71.8.

• Sorry, no video tonight as I was on tight deadline and didn’t make it to post-game press conferences.