Tennessee suffered one of the most frustrating losses of the Josh Heupel era last week at Alabama but the Vols have little time to sulk about it.

Tennessee (5-2, 2-2 SEC), which squandered a two-score halftime lead and were shutout in the second half of a 34-20 loss to the Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa, continue a season-defining stretch at Kentucky (5-2, 2-2) on Saturday at Kroger Field in Lexington at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.

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The Vols are seeking their first true road win of the season and their first in its last five road games while Kentucky is coming off of a bye week.

Here are the takeaways from what Heupel and players said about the Alabama loss and its upcoming bout with the Wildcats on Monday.

McCallan Castles wants to make the most of it when the ball comes his way.

He did on Saturday against Alabama.

The Tennessee senior tight end caught a first half touchdown that capped an 80-yard drive and provided the Vols with a 20-7 lead at the intermission.

"(It was) a blitz look. A lot of guys off the edge," Castles said. "I was like, 'I don't know how I'm going to get through here,' then the rub-route and comes and they all run into each other and I was running naked in the end zone. Joe (Milton) just makes a great play, just feathered back off the blitz and touches the ball. I don't think if Joe makes that throw the way he did, he's probably getting sacked, so pretty good job from Joe."

WATCH ON VOLREPORT: Tennessee football coach Josh Heupel recaps Alabama, previews Kentucky

Castles' catch also marked the seventh-straight game that a tight end has hauled in a touchdown. He and tight end Jacob Warren have combined for five touchdowns this season.

In a season where Tennessee has struggled to replicate the success it had in the passing game a year ago, the tight ends have been consistent when targeted.

"I think it's just pushing each other in practice," Castles said. "We get a lot of work with the quarterbacks but not as much as the wide receivers, so we make the most out of all of those opportunities that we get, so that way when you get that chance in the game, you want to make a play. I think it's just that me and Jacob both push each other and we both talk about it and watch film together. We kind of just iron out all of those details together."

In both of Tennessee's losses this season, struggles in one quarter have been too much to overcome.

In a 29-16 loss at Florida in week 3, the Vols were shutout and outscored, 20-0 as a number of self-inflicted penalties and defensive breakdowns resulted in a 26-7 lead for the Gators at halftime.

Last Saturday, it was the third quarter that plagued Tennessee.

The Vols' defense dominated the first half but two explosive plays on Alabama's first drive of the quarter allowed the Crimson Tide to make it a one possession game and sparked a 27-point second half.

WATCH ON VOLREPORT: Tennessee players begin Kentucky week

Offensively, Tennessee was setback early after a kickoff return was called back to its own 4-yard line because of a fair catch signal elsewhere on the field that pinned the Vols back and led to a three-and-out.

"Man, welcome to college football, right?" Heupel said. "You've got to be on the right side of it, you've got to find a way to make plays and make difference and also understand that this game is not going to be perfect...I like this team because they invest, they prepare and they play hard. We've got to be a little bit sharper. In the (Florida game), I didn't think we reset. In this one (vs. Alabama), there were some unique things that happened and we didn't get going on the right side of it. We've got to cut clean and we've got to move forward (against Kentucky), too."

Tennessee's defensive front has been stout against the run but it will be up against another challenge in slowing Kentucky running back Ray Davis.

Davis has accounted for much of the Wildcats' offensive production, rushing for 781 yards and eight touchdowns on 111 carries while averaging 7.0 yards per rush.

In Kentucky's 33-14 win over Florida three weeks ago, Davis ran for 280 yards and three touchdowns. He has rushed for more than 100 yards in three games.

WATCH ON VOLREPORT: Tennessee football begins preparation for Kentucky

Tennessee currently ranks fifth in the SEC and 24th nationally in stopping the run, holding opponents to 109.9 rushing yards per game and have held teams to less than 100 yards in two of its last four games.

"We've got to stop the run at the line of scrimmage," Heupel said. "(Kentucky) offensive line, their tight ends, they do a good job of being extremely physical and getting a hat on a hat. We've got to be violent, we've got to be disruptive. You've got to have gap integrity with all of the different personnel groupings...At the end of the day when you meet the ball carrier, you've got to do a great job of tackling him, too. (Davis) is extremely physical."

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