For Kentucky football fans, hell is where ‘Rocky Top’ never stops playing

When it comes to football games against Tennessee, Kentucky fans are trapped in an unending cycle of torment.

Before a lively Kroger Field crowd of 61,665 Saturday night, UK threw for a season high 372 yards against the No. 21 Volunteers. Yet the Wildcats (5-3, 2-3 SEC) suffered another agonizing home loss to border foe Tennessee (6-2, 3-2 SEC), this time falling 33-27.

It was UK’s 36th defeat in its last 39 contests against its erstwhile rival from the state directly south.

For the third straight time when Kentucky and Tennessee have met in Lexington, the Volunteers have left with a one-score victory.

“It is very disappointing to come up on the wrong side of that game,” UK coach Mark Stoops said afterward.

For Kentucky sophomore wideout Dane Key, “disappointing” was not a strong enough word to reflect the postgame vibe.

“It’s really sickening, actually,” Key said.

For Kentucky backers, Saturday night was yet another trip into the depths of “Big Orange hell.”

First circle of Big Orange hell: UK will get behind Tennessee early and subsequently have to play “uphill.”

Since Josh Heupel brought his rapid-paced offense to UT three years back, you can take it to the bank that the Vols will hang a quick touchdown on the Wildcats.

This year, Tennessee scored a TD on its fifth play from scrimmage.

A season ago, in UT’s 44-6 win over UK in Knoxville, the Volunteers also scored their first TD on their fifth play.

Two years ago, in Tennessee’s 45-42 win over Kentucky at Kroger Field, the Vols hit a 75-yard scoring pass on their first play.

Second circle of Big Orange hell: A Kentucky coaching decision will blow up on the Wildcats.

In 2021, a Kentucky failure on fourth down led directly to Tennessee points. Three plays after UK turned the ball over on downs at its own 47, the Vols scored a touchdown.

This year, on UK’s first offensive drive of the game, Kentucky faced fourth-and-1 from its own 34. Stoops elected to punt, and UT (see above) took only five plays to score a touchdown.

On UK’s second offensive possession, the Wildcats again faced fourth-and-1 from their 34.

This time, Stoops elected to go for it — and Tennessee stuffed UK star running back Ray Davis for no gain.

The Vols turned that short field into a 44-yard Charles Campbell field goal and a 10-0 lead.

“Probably got impatient and went for it,” Stoops said. “That’s on me.”

Third circle of Big Orange hell: Something weird will happen that hurts Kentucky.

After a Davis touchdown brought UK within 20-17 with 1:46 left in the first half, Tennessee faced a third-and-6 from its own 29 on the ensuing drive.

On an out pattern, UT quarterback Joe Milton rifled the ball to wideout Ramel Keyton, who appeared, to me at least, to make the catch while out of bounds at the Kentucky 46-yard line.

The official nearest the play ruled it a legal reception, however.

When the replay was shown on the Kroger Field video boards, Kentucky players started celebrating because it looked that, by the time Keyton controlled the ball, his front foot was planted out of bounds and his back foot was off the ground entirely.

Yet to the surprise and dismay of the UK home crowd, the call of a catch was allowed to stand by the replay officials. Four plays later, UT’s Campbell booted another field goal.

Asked in his postgame news conference if he got an explanation for why the complete call was not reversed, Stoops said “no.”

Those six points — the three Kentucky gave Tennessee (see above) with its fourth down failure in its own territory and the three that resulted after the disputed catch — ended up being the game’s ultimate margin.

Fourth circle of Big Orange hell: Kentucky-Tennessee games in Lexington will come down to a few crucial plays — which the Vols will make and the Cats won’t.

▪ On its first possession of the second half, Kentucky — down 23-17 — faced a fourth-and-6 from the UT 34. Wildcats quarterback Devin Leary tried to connect with Demi Sumo-Karngbaye on a wheel route, but the pass fell incomplete.

▪ Clinging to a 26-24 lead in the fourth quarter, Tennessee faced a third-and-10 from the Kentucky 29.

Milton hit running back Dylan Sampson over the middle for 15 yards. On the ensuing play, Sampson scampered 12 yards for the TD that put UT ahead 33-24.

Fifth circle of Big Orange hell: The Big Blue Nation, seemingly, will never stop taking gut punches from the Big Orange.

After largely struggling in Kentucky’s first four SEC games, Leary played the best game of his Kentucky career to date versus UT. The North Carolina State transfer completed 28 of 39 throws for 372 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.

Key caught a career-high seven balls for 113 yards and a touchdown.

Yet UK still lost, in large part, because the Wildcats defense could not slow the Tennessee rushing attack (254 yards).

“We know (beating Tennessee) is huge for Kentucky,” Leary said. “We wanted to win this one really bad.”

For Kentucky football fans, hell is where “Rocky Top” never stops playing.

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