LEXINGTON, Kentucky (WATE) — The Vols clinched a victory over Kentucky on Saturday with a final score of 56-34.

Tennessee wasted no time in establishing their presence on the field. Joey Aguilar initiated the scoring by connecting with Mike Matthews on consecutive passes for 14 and 10 yards. Aguilar then targeted Chris Brazzell for a 35-yard touchdown, putting the Vols ahead 7-0 early in the game. Aguilar completed all four of his passes during this opening drive.

Despite their strong start, Tennessee struggled on their second drive, largely due to Aguilar being sacked for an 11-yard loss on third down, stalling their momentum.

The Vols extended their lead to 14-0 shortly after, capitalizing on a defensive play. Kentucky’s quarterback, Cutter Boley, threw an interception caught by Edrees Farooq, who returned it 45 yards for a touchdown. This marked Tennessee’s fifth defensive touchdown of the season, tying them with Louisiana Tech for the national lead in this category.

Kentucky responded with a 71-yard touchdown pass to Kendrick Law, narrowing Tennessee’s advantage to 14-7.

Nevertheless, Tennessee swiftly restored their 14-point lead. A 47-yard pass from Aguilar to Brazzell set up the drive, followed by a 17-yard rush from Star Thomas to the one-yard line. Thomas then finished the drive with a touchdown, marking his first score in SEC play and increasing the lead to 21-7.

The Vols got the ball back moments later after Boo Carter forced a fumble that was recovered by freshman linebacker Jadon Perlotte. It marked Tennessee’s second takeaway of the night.

UT was able to take advantage off the turnover as DeSean Bishop punched it in from one-yard out on fourth down. After just 16 minutes of play, Tennessee had already scored 28 points.

However, the Wildcats quickly responded with another chunk play, this time a 56-yard pass from Boley to DJ Miller to pull Kentucky back within 14 points.

Kentucky then made it just a seven-point game as Boley found J.J. Hester in the endzone on a 3-yard score to cut into Tennessee’s lead, 28-21.

The Vols got the ball back with 1:37 left on the clock in the first half and got to work. Aguilar connected with Mike Matthews and Braylon Staley on a couple of short passes, while Bishop kept the chains moving on the ground.

Ethan Davis caught his first pass since ETSU on Sept. 6, as he was making his first appearance since the Georgia game after dealing with an injury. The tight end caught a 10-yard pass from Aguilar to get the Vols across midfield. Aguilar then connected with Braylon Staley on a 24-yard pass to put the Vols in the red zone.

Davis then capped off the drive with a 13-yard touchdown catch for his first score of the season. It gave Tennessee a 35-21 lead at the halftime break.

Despite a 14-point advantage, the Wildcats picked up more total yards of offense (281) in the first half compared to the Vols (239). Tennessee managed to record just 29 rushing yards in the first 30 minutes of play.

In the second half, Tennessee started by picking up two more touchdowns. With 10:40 left on the clock, Aguilar made a 62 yard pass to Matthews. After a successful extra point by Max Gilbert, the Vols led 42-21. After an unsuccessful attempt by the Wildcats for a 55-yard field goal, Peyton Lewis picked up a touchdown for the Vols with a two-yard run, followed by another successful extra point by Gilbert, making the Vols lead to 49-21.

The Wildcats came back, with Boley finding Miller for a 28-yard pass that earned Kentucky a touchdown. After a failed two-point conversion, the Wildcats closed the gap slightly at the end of the third quarter to 49-27.

At the start of the 4th, the vols picked up another touchdown with Bishop making a 5-yard rush up the middle to take the score to 56-27 with 13:35 left in the game. Boley made a 7-yard pass to J.J. Hester, which earned the Wildcats a touchdown. With an extra point, Kentucky brought the score to 56-34 with just over eight minutes left on the clock.

In the final possession of the game, the Vols weren’t able to make it back up the field. After 12 plays, Tennessee ended the game at Kentucky’s 16 yard line.

UP NEXT: The Vols will be back in Knoxville to take on Oklahoma at Neyland Stadium on Saturday, November 1.