Kentucky escaped an SEC rivalry matchup with Tennessee 29-26 on Saturday in Lexington, Ky., in a chippy contest that almost opened with a melee.

Trash talk and shoving invited unsportsmanlike penalties against the entirety of both teams early in the contest.

That set the tone in a physical, back-and-forth contest won when Wildcats quarterback Stephen Johnson rushed for an 11-yard touchdown with 33 seconds left to cap a 10-play, 72-yard drive. Johnson's two-point conversion pass to running back Benny Snell gave Kentucky a three-point lead.

Snell rushed for 180 yards and three touchdowns. Johnson was 6-for-15 passing for 46 yards.

The Wildcats (6-2, 3-2 SEC) trailed much of the second half in this back-and-forth contest. Snell's touchdowns powered Kentucky to a 21-20 lead.

Tennessee (3-5, 0-5) responded out of intermission, keeping Kentucky out of the end zone for 29 of the half's 30 minutes. However, the Volunteers offense could not capitalize, scoring only on a pair of Brent Cimaglia field goals. Cimaglia went 4-of-6 on field goals for the night.

The Vols got a great game out of freshman running back Ty Chandler, filling in for starter John Kelly, serving a one-game suspension for a marijuana violation. Chandler rushed for 120 yards on 22 carries and scored both Tennessee touchdowns.

Tennessee's inability to provide pass protection proved to be the difference. Pass protection broke down and quarterback Jarrett Guarantano took a sack to Kentucky's Denzil Ware on the Vols' last-ditch effort.

Ware was one of seven Wildcats to record at least one-half sack on the night.

Guarantano converted a fourth-and-24 on Tennessee's final drive and got the Vols down to the Kentucky 3-yard line on a Hail Mary attempt as time ran out.

Johnson rushed for 84 yards and the Wildcats totaled 289 on the ground. Guarantano was 18 of 23 for 242 yards.