Tennessee scored four touchdowns in the third quarter and pulled away from Kentucky for a 52-21 victory in front of a rain-soaked crowd Saturday night in Lexington, Ky.

The Volunteers (4-4, 2-3 SEC) put together scoring drives on four consecutive possessions between the first and second half and scored twice on long kickoff and punt returns by the end of the third quarter.

Kentucky (4-4, 2-4) took an early lead when 300-pound defensive tackle Cory Johnson rumbled 77 yards on a fumble return with 8:23 left in the first quarter. The Wildcats remained close late in the first half, cutting the Volunteers' lead to 14-10 with 5:39 left in the second quarter on a 1-yard touchdown run by quarterback Patrick Towles.

That's when Tennessee emphatically left Kentucky behind with quarterback Joshua Dobbs leading the way, throwing a 75-yard touchdown pass to receiver Josh Malone and then scoring on a 1-yard keeper before the half.

Dobbs, who completed 16 of 26 passes for 233 yards, engineering a 75-yard scoring drive to open the second half. That culminated with a 37-yard touchdown pass to running back Jalen Hurd.

Evan Berry later scored on a 100-yard kickoff return, his third return for a touchdown this season. Kentucky punted on the following possession and Tennessee's Cameron Sutton returned it 84 yards for a touchdown.

Kentucky struggled in all phases, including 93 yards in penalties. Tennessee controlled the line of scrimmage with 249 rushing yards.