With hopes of SEC championship berth shattered, where does Kentucky football go from here?

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — At the outset of the season, Kentucky football had high hopes. Winning 10 (or more) games in back-to-back seasons for the first time in program history. Perhaps winning the SEC East for the first time ever. If things broke right, maybe even greater glory beyond that.

After the first month of the season, the Wildcats were on track, boasting a 4-0 record in September.

Then the calendar turned to October.

Things haven't been the same since.

No match:Tennessee shows Kentucky how far it has to go to be among SEC elite

Rivalry hijinks:Kentucky fans paint Tennessee landmark 'The Rock' blue before showdown in Knoxville

It started with a loss at Ole Miss on Oct. 1. Another loss followed a week later, at home, to South Carolina. Though UK bounced back to dispatch Mississippi State at Kroger Field on Oct. 15, the final game of the month ended like the first two: a loss. But Saturday's setback at the hands of undefeated No. 3 Tennessee took on a far different tone than the previous losses. In the defeats to the Rebels and Gamecocks, respectively, the Wildcats (5-3, 2-3 SEC) had their chances.

By comparison, the Volunteers (8-0, 4-0) boat raced the visitors Saturday at Neyland Stadium, cruising to a 44-6 victory.

Now, with dreams of an SEC East title squelched, and barring a four-game win streak to end the 2022 campaign — which would require UK upsetting No. 1 Georgia on Nov. 19 — the Wildcats are left to pick up the pieces of a season that once held so much promise.

To Brad White, it's a test.

"That's life. What's the key?" White, UK's defensive coordinator, said after Saturday's lopsided loss. "It's football character. What do you have inside you? There are going to be times where you're riding high and things are great. And there are going to be times when you're down low and you've got to pick yourself back up. You've got to be a great teammate and you've got to pick up your other teammates and you've got to just keep chopping and you've just got to keep coming to practice."

Falling short:The Wildcats are meeting new standards set by Mark Stoops

White readily admitted the preceding quote sounded "cliché." And like "coachspeak."

But it's the prism through which he views UK's current predicament.

"You come to the SEC, and you're going to freaking figure it out real quick that every single week, it's going to be a physical battle. We've got another big-time road test next week," he said, referring to the team's game at Missouri, which upset South Carolina on Saturday. "So if you want to sulk, if you want to put your head down, we're going to have to find someone else. I don't think that's going to be the case with this defense."

He believes that because he claims he saw no quit in his team. No finger pointing on the sideline. Despite Tennessee's offensive onslaught — the hosts scored touchdowns on half (six) of their 12 possessions, making one field goal while another one battered the right upright — White said his unit was "just ready to go back out and compete."

Ryan Black:What University of Kentucky fans can expect from my coverage

Senior corner Keidron Smith also vowed he and his teammates fought to the bitter end; he said "no" five times in succession when asked whether he saw any give up in the Wildcats.

"That was our main point and emphasis coming out of that locker room: If you're going to be down and everything, then there's no need for you to be on that field," said Smith, who tallied five tackles.

While Kentucky's defense had its issues slowing down UT, the Wildcats' offense had issues merely getting going. UK scored on its second possession of the contest … and didn't put another point on the board. Quarterback Will Levis struggled immensely, throwing three interceptions (against no touchdowns) and finishing with just 98 yards and a 59% (16 of 27) completion rate.

It was a humbling outcome for the future NFL draft pick. Heading into the game, Levis said he was "extremely confident," citing what he believed had been a great week of practice. Levis thought he was ready. He thought the rest of the team was, too.

"And we weren't," he said.

Viral moment:Coal miner in viral UK basketball scrimmage photo says response has been 'mind-blowing'

Levis took responsibility for his mistakes. Though he credited Tennessee's defense — to a point — Levis felt Saturday's issues had more to do with his unit's sluggishness.

Whatever the case, it doesn't alter Saturday's result.

All the Wildcats can do, Levis said, is try to avoid the same fate that befell them after the loss to the Rebels: allowing it to linger, which carried into the following week versus the Gamecocks.

It was the crux of his postgame speech in the locker room.

"I talked to them afterward and I said, 'It's bad to go out there and play the way I did, or the way that we did. But it's even worse to let that affect you further — past tonight,'" Levis said. "My point of emphasis to the guys was to keep our heads up. It's infectious when there are a couple guys pointing fingers and there are a couple guys down on themselves or down on others. Then other guys feel like it's OK for them to start doing that. I just want to make sure that that doesn't happen. (I want us) to keep a good mindset and that we finish this season as strong as we possibly can."

Kentucky coach Mark Stoops said it's on his team to quickly respond — and regroup.

"There's no hiding. … I just told the team that: 'You're going to be in this league, you're going to have some tough losses. You're going to get hit right in the jaw. You have to respond and get back at it. Nobody's going to feel sorry for you,'" said Stoops, who fell to 0-7 in matchups against top-5 foes since becoming Kentucky's coach in 2013. "Missouri is hungry, I can guarantee that. We've got to go there and we better be ready to play."

UK lookahead:These players have committed to Kentucky football's 2023 recruiting class

Like Tennessee was Saturday. As the Vols have been in all eight of their games in a resurgent season for one of college football's proudest programs.

With next week's mammoth game against No. 1 Georgia on tap, Tennessee is in the position Kentucky once yearned to be itself.

A lot can change in a month.

"I've said that since Day 1: There are a bunch of schools in here that aren't interested in going backward," he said. "We're all interested in going forward."

Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @RyanABlack.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky football: With SEC East hopes shattered, what's next?