On Vols' goal line stand: 'Nobody was going to get in the end zone on us'

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Josh Palmer couldn’t watch.

Tennessee’s junior receiver, who’d come up with the go-ahead touchdown on a phenomenal toe-tapping catch more than a quarter earlier, had to keep his eyes shut as Kentucky marched toward the end zone for a potential game-winning touchdown.

Despite all the mistakes, all the missed assignments, a blocked punt, another quarterback shuffle, dumb penalties and an inexplicable fumble in the fourth quarter, the Vols held a 17-13 lead with just under eight minutes remaining in Kroger Field.

But the Vols couldn’t get a stop. They couldn’t get off the field.

The clock slowly began to drain down as the ‘Cats plodded their way toward the end zone. Seven minutes turned to five, which turned to three and then inside two. Kentucky started the drive at Tennessee's own 45-yard line.

In a game full of paper cuts courtesy of speed option runs and split-zone, the Vols looked like they’d finally succumb to Kentucky’s methodical triple option offense spearheaded by receiver-turned-quarterback Lynn Bowden.

Facing 3rd-and-goal from the 1, Kentucky needed a single yard to deliver a gut-punch to Tennessee.

“My eyes were closed. I couldn’t watch,” Palmer said.

“I was just hoping we were the ones screaming at the end. Then I heard the (roar) from our sideline and crowd, opened my eyes and raced to the field and asked who made the tackle?”

Answer: Daniel Bituli and Ja’Quain Blakely, the unsung-est of unsung heroes.

The Wildcats rolled up 329 rushing yards on a chilly Saturday night at home, but they were stopped on three fourth downs in the second half — and none was bigger than the Bituli-Blakely-Bowden crunch on a short option to the right.

In a game where Tennessee’s defense routinely didn’t read its keys, the Vols finally knew what plays were coming on third and fourth down. Freshman linebacker Henry To’oto’o stoned Chris Rodriguez for a 1-yard loss on third down and then Bituli and Blakely corralled Bowden to win the game, with an assist from safety Nigel Warrior, who correctly took away the option pitch.

“I mean, we knew they weren’t going to throw it,” head coach Jeremy Pruitt said.

“We thought they’d give it to their best player. … We stopped him.”

The stop ignited a raucous sideline celebration for the Vols, with the jubilation continuing after Jarrett Guarantano’s naked boot-leg run for a first down to seal the game.

As postgame interviews were set to take place in a small room deep in the bowels of Kroger Field, thick, white concrete walls couldn’t mask the joy emanating from Tennessee’s locker room.

“It just feels so good, man,” Bituli said.

Especially after how the game started.

Bituli finished with 19 tackles Saturday, but many came yards down the field because the Vols were gashed in the opening quarter by Kentucky’s gadget offense.

The outside linebackers lost the edge too often and the interior lineman maintained poor gap integrity. Pruitt was miffed at the lack of fundamentals, especially because he thought the coaching staff had a sound plan in place.

“I mean, we can’t make better calls and then they get nine yards,” he said postgame.

“We have to coach better. Execute better.”

A year ago, the Cats had 77 rushing yards total in a 24-7 loss. They had 65 on the ground in their opening touchdown drive Saturday.

But Tennessee slowly started to buck up, especially after halftime, playing some bend-but-don’t break defense. They were on the field all night (41 minutes and 71 plays), but they pitched a second-half shutout for the second-consecutive SEC game because of better execution, some guts, and finally, the sheer will to win.

“We were gassed out there … but we couldn’t let (the touchdown) happen,” defensive end Darrell Taylor said on UK’s final two plays.

“Nobody was going to get in the end zone on us.”

The Vols made a litany of errors Saturday night, but two goal line stops could be the difference between staying home for the holidays for the third straight year or celebrating New Years in Jacksonville.

And for one night, that's all that mattered.

“Our kids didn't quit. They stayed the course,” Pruitt said.

“Man, we made it hard on ourselves. We’re very fortunate to win the football game, but we did, and that’s what matters.”