Jarrett Guarantano feeds Kentucky defeat in Tennessee football

The Vols beat Kentucky, number 12, 24-7 at Neyland Stadium, behind 197 yards and a vigorous defensive effort from Jarrett Guarantano.

"I think it was by far the most comprehensive match our guys have played," said Flights Coach Jeremy Pruitt.

This is the second victory over a Top 25 opponent for Tennessee (5-5, 2-4 SEC), who beat Auburn last month.

The Flights need to beat Missouri or Vanderbilt to qualify for the bowl title in the first season of Pruitt.

Kentucky (7-3, 5-3), who was hoping to win the SEC East as recently as last weekend, lost twice in a row.

Here are five things we learned:

I salute you, Mary highlights the day of Guarantano

Marquez Callaway earned a 39-yard pass from Guarantano in the last game of the first half to give the Tennessee a 17-0 lead.

After this game, Tennessee's fake offer went from possible to probable.

The Flights scored two touchdowns in the final at 2:05 of the first half.

Guarantano showed his moxie – as usual – by getting up to throw sharp throws while defenders rush at him. He completed 12 of 20 passes, including two touchdowns and four finishes of at least 25 yards.

Guarantano launched 146 consecutive passes without interception, beating the school record established by Casey Clausen (143) in 2003.

"It's fine then, huh?" Guarantano said with a smile when informed of his record.

The flights contain Benny Snell Jr.

The back of Kentucky, Benny Snell Jr. touched the ball in 26 games. The Flights kept him in check.

Snell finished with 81 rushing yards and 25 rushing yards. His biggest win was a 19-yard run.

Kentucky running back Benny Snell Jr. (26) is pursued by defensive lineman Shy Tuttle (2) and defenseman Alontae Taylor (6) in a match between Tennessee Kentucky at Neyland Stadium from Knoxville, Tennessee on Saturday, November 10, 2018.. (Photo: Calvin Mattheis / News Sentinel)

Snell took the league lead with the rush, but Saturday was the third consecutive game he was tied for less than 100 rushing yards.

The defense of Tennessee stimulated

Tennessee limited Kentucky to 262 yards of offense. The return of departure security Micah Abernathy helped. He had seven tackles after missing the last four games due to an ankle injury.

Darrell Taylor was the star, though. He fired Terry Wilson four times and recovered a fumble that he forced.

"He made himself feel good, dude," linebacker Daniel Bituli said about Taylor. "The sky is the limit for DT."

The Tennessee defense made a recall one week after scoring Charlotte 244 yards in a 14-3 victory.

Kentucky avoided a shutout when Wilson joined CP Conrad for a 19-yard touchdown to reduce UT's lead to 24-7 with 1:56 remaining in the third quarter.

The Wildcats have not exceeded 17 points in five consecutive games.

Ty Chandler is also helping

Ty Chandler, the Tennessee halfback, was limited to two games against Charlotte due to injury. He wore a brace on his left knee but looked like his old face against Kentucky.

Chandler racked up 89 yards in 16 carries, but lost a fourth-quarter fumble.

Tennessee has dominated Kentucky 215 to 77 in the field.

The series still lives

Despite consecutive losses from Georgia and UT, this season could be the best season in Kentucky in recent decades. Already this year, the Wildcats have ended a series of 31 defeats against Florida. But the Vols have ensured that their domination over Kentucky continues.

UT have won 17 straight games against the Wildcats at Neyland Stadium. Kentucky won its last victory in Knoxville in 1984.

"Tennessee are very proud to win at home," said center Ryan Johnson. We have long traditions here at UT and long traditions in Neyland, and we really, really pushed hard tonight and kept our head down and continued to drive towards victory. "

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