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LEXINGTON, Kentucky (Ticker) -- No. 17 did not come without a fight. Alex Walls kicked a 44-yard field goal with 2:49 remaining as sixth-ranked Tennessee erased a big deficit before pulling out a 38-35 victory over Kentucky. It was the 17th straight victory for the Volunteers over their Southeastern Conference rivals. Tennessee had scored more than 50 points in each of the last five games, outscoring the Wildcats by a 289-103 margin. "I'm proud of the win and I compliment Kentucky on what they did," Tennessee coach Phillip Fullmer said. "That's the way I remember Kentucky and Tennessee football games as a player and assistant coach. They were always a battle and always will be a battle." But not only were the Wildcats (2-8, 1-7 SEC West) in Saturday's contest, they opened a 21-0 lead midway through the second quarter on a two-yard touchdown pass by Jared Lorenzen to Chase Harp. Tennessee rallied behind Casey Clausen, taking a 35-28 lead with 5:26 left in the fourth quarter on his 38-yard TD pass to Donte' Stallworth. Clausen finished 20-of-30 for 285 yards and four touchdowns. Three of those scores went to Stallworth, who had eight catches for 169 yards. Lorenzen also had a big day and hooked up with Anthony Kelly on a 62-yard TD pass with 3:53 left, tying the contest at 35-35. Lorenzen went 34-of-53 for 406 yards with four touchdowns and one interception. He also carried 13 times for 52 yards and a score. Clausen quickly led the Volunteers down the field, moving his team 38 yards in six plays, setting the stage for Walls' winning kick. "You have to give Kentucky credit for what they did today," Clausen said. "We as a team cannot come out and play like we did today. I guess a win is a win but we need tp go back and study film and get better." Any chance for a comeback went by the board for the Wildcats on their next possession when Lorenzen fumbled and Will Overstreet recovered for Tennessee inside Kentucky territorty with 2:09 left. "We really thought we had the game won," Lorenzen said. "It was a great game, back and forth all day long. Tennessee played great and adjusted well to come out with the victory though. If they weren't the kind of team that could make adjustments than they wouldn't be ranked so highly." With the non-conference portion of their schedule complete, the Volunteers (9-1, 7-1 SEC East) play Vanderbilt next week before an East Division showdown with Florida on December 1. The Volunteers also continued their success in November, improving to 63-3 in the month since 1985. It did not look like the Volunteers would be building on their impressive November resume as Lorenzen and the Wildcats came out firing. On the Wildcats' first possession, they moved 76 yards in 13 plays. Lorenzen capped the march with 9:28 left in the opening quarter, finding Tommy Cook with a five-yard TD pass. Kentucky dominated the entire opening quarter, outgaining the Volunteers by a lopsided 130-14 margin while holding them without a first down. Lorenzen used his legs early in the second quarter, scoring on a two-yard run with 11 minutes left before intermission for a 14-0 advantage. Just over five minutes later, the onslaught continued as Lorenzen found Harp with a two-yard TD pass. Tennessee did not pick up its initial first down until 4:36 left before halftime. On the next play following the first down, Clausen found Stallworth down the left sideline for a 59-yard touchdown pass. Clausen pulled the Volunteers closer 6:50 into the third quarter, connecting with Kelley Washington on a 49-yard touchdown pass. Moments later, Tennessee received a big play on defense to tie the game. Lorenzen had a pass tipped at the line that was intercepted by defensive tackle Rashad Moore, who looked to be rumbling toward a touchdown when he fumbled. The ball bounced into the end zone but end Constantin Ritzmann recovered for a touchdown, tying the contest at 21-21 with 5:53 left in the quarter. Lorenzen rebounded from that miscue, finding Derek Abney with a four-yard TD pass with 1:56 left in the quarter, giving the Wildcats a 28-21 advantage. Abney finished with 10 catches for 118 yards. Tennessee battled back to take a 28-21 lead in the fourth quarter as Clausen threw touchdown passes of 23 and 38 yuards to Stallworth in the opening 9:34 of the period. Lorenzen found Kelly with a 62-yard touchdown pass with just over four minutes left before Walls eventually won it with his field goal.
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