LEXINGTON – Micah Johnson didn’t know what to say following Kentucky’s 30-24 loss to Tennessee Saturday night at Commonwealth Stadium.
Johnson had every reason to be speechless after the Wildcats lost to the Volunteers for the 25th time in a row – a streak that’s becoming a Thanksgiving weekend tradition for Tennessee.
“It was tough,” Johnson said. “Probably the hardest loss I have had to stomach in my career so far. I am really at a loss for words.”
Sam Maxwell had an interception for a touchdown in the first quarter, agreed with Johnson’s assessment following the contest.
“This is such a tough loss – very disappointing,” he said. “We practiced so hard this week and gave it our all,” he said. “When you go out there and give it your best, you expect to win,” he said. “We have injuries and other setbacks, but we had to keep going. To lose this game is unexplainable. It is so hard coming so close. We really felt like we had it this year.”
Kentucky held a 21-14 lead at halftime and kicked a field goal in regulation that forced the game into overtime, but failed to capitalize on a chance to finish second in the SEC East and perhaps a chance for a New Year’s Day berth for the first time in more than a decade.
It was an opportunity that seemed impossible for this team after opening the season with three losses in the first five games. Kentucky defeated Auburn, Vanderbilt and Georgia on the road to make things interesting down the stretch, but failed to top Rocky Top.
“We had a chance to do something that hasn’t been done around here (in a long time) and finish second in the SEC East and we failed,” Kentucky coach Rich Brooks said.
Kentucky’s all-purpose scoring threat Randall Cobb said Kentucky “choked” in the second half.
“They came out energized and ready, and we didn’t,” he said. “We weren’t focused.”
Although the loss still lingers 24 hours following the heartbreak, Kentucky will await word on where it will play during the postseason. The Wildcats (7-5) are one of 10 SEC schools who will be competing in the postseason. The bowl berth will be a school-record fourth in a row for Kentucky, which is 3-0 in bowl appearances under Brooks.
Florida and Alabama will compete for the SEC championship Saturday, with the winner receiving a berth in the BCS National Championship. The loser also will compete in a BCS bowl encounter. Kentucky, Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina, Arkansas, Auburn, LSU and Ole Miss are expected to receive bowl bids next weekend.

UK Bowl possibilities:

Music City Bowl (at Nashville, vs. ACC, Dec. 27 at 8:15 p.m., ESPN)

Independence Bowl (at Shreveport, La., vs. Big  12, Dec. 28, 5 p.m., ESPN2)

Chick-Fil-A Bowl (at Atlanta, Ga., vs. ACC, Dec. 31 7:30 p.m., ESPN)

Papajohns.com Bowl (at Birmingham, Ala., vs. at-large, Jan. 2, 2 p.m., ESPN)

Liberty Bowl (at Memphis, Tenn., vs. C-USA champ, Jan. 2, 5 p.m., ESPN)

Photo: Kentucky coach Rich Brooks yelled at Morgan Newton during the Cats' 30-24 loss in overtime Saturday night at Commonwealth Stadium. Photo by Victoria Graff.