Tennessee football: Five takeaways from Vols 17-13 win over Kentucky

4. Too many mistakes continue to plague the Vols. 

Mistakes cost Tennessee football early in the year, as they committed three turnovers in their loss to the Georgia State Panthers and had the only turnover along with a critical lapse in the secondary in their loss to the BYU Cougars. That has been an issue for this team all year, and it nearly cost them again here.

Down 7-0, the Vols had a blocked punt to set up Kentucky’s second touchdown. They made up for it by blocking the extra point on that touchdown, which we mentioned proved to be a big deal. But that mistake was still crucial.

Then there were numerous issues in the second half. The Vols kept one Kentucky drive alive due to a roughing the passer penalty on a third down stop. They also had one touchdown called back due to an ineligible receiver downfield.

Late in the game, though, it was nearly disastrous. After their second fourth down stop, UT was set to run the ball and try to run out the clock. A lack of commitment to the run game was its own issue, as Jim Chaney made the mistake of only calling 11 designed run plays to the running backs.

But when he did call it, Ty Chandler mishandled the handoff from Jarrett Guarantano. Kentucky recovered the ball in UT territory, giving them a chance at one final drive. And the mistakes didn’t end there.

On 3rd and goal, the Vols had a 12-men-on-the-field penalty coming out of a timeout, giving Kentucky the ball closer to the goal line. Oh, and Guarantano also almost fumbled the snap on a kneel-down at the end. These are mistakes they should focus on correcting during the bye. They could have been disastrous.