There really are no easy weekends in the SCRC, and both Tennessee and Kentucky—if they didn't know it already—found that out Saturday.

In the first league game actually played for UT, and Kentucky's second, the two clashed in a game that has all the markers of a playoff game. Tennessee weathered a tight first half to edge the Wildcats 22-15. The game was low-scoring in the first half with the teams changing sides with the Volunteers up 5-3—No. 8 Christian Moolman getting the try for Tennessee. Kentucky almost scored just before the break, and being held out then proved important.

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With Tennessee down a play due to a yellow card, Kentucky scored to take a 10-5 lead, but once they got back to full strength, Tennessee replied with a scrum pushover try and scores from hooker Greg Giangiulo and center Jake Rath. Kentucky scored late but couldn't get any closer than 22-15.

"I believe five of the last six games we have played were seven points or less and several ended on the last play," said Kentucky Head Coach Gary Anderson. "It's always a tight contest, this year was no different. We did not finish a few opportunities inside ten meters, getting held up in the try zone at the half was a killer. UT pressed our backs hard and made their one-v-one tackles out wide."  

Tennessee's pick-and-go game, added Anderson "is the best in the business. The conference has been unable to defended it constantly for about a decade now."

For his part, Tennessee Head Coach Marty Bradley might be looking at his team's perfect 9-for-9 performance in the lineout.

"We really improved our lineout play this week," said  Bradley. "[It's] something that we had not done well in attack and in defense this fall, which is very uncharacteristic for us. Maybe we found some answers on Saturday."

Meanwhile, the Vols also improved in an unexpected aspect of play.

"We were able to handle their tactical kicking fairly well which is something that we haven't historically been very good at," said Bradley. "It was a classic UT v UK battle with it coming down to the last five minutes and we got a couple if bounces go our way. Kentucky is always prepared and can really spread the field and move the ball so it was taxing on our forwards but our conditioning held up. We made some very poor decisions with ball in hand and we must sharpen that up. Most of it was just over aggression and over confidence but it definitely hurt us at times when we dis not make that extra pass." 

Anderson said Kentucky will be wanting another shot at this game.

"Overall I thought it was a pretty even contest,  good chance we come up against them again in the playoffs and with a little luck maybe we come out the seven-point winners," said Anderson.

The SCRC

With Alabama vs Kennesaw State a KSU forfeit this was the only DIAA game played in the SCRC. Top of the heap then is Tennessee (who got a forfeit win to start the season) along with Clemson. But it is still very early days. Next week Kentucky visits an upstart Georgia and Clemson is scheduled against KSU, who have forfeited their first two games. After that, Tennessee has Clemson, Alabama, South Carolina, and Georgia in quick succession. Kentucky and Clemson face off November 6 at Clemson.