The Tennessee Vols left Lexington with a win over the No. 18 Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday night thanks to a fourth-down stop in the game's final minute.

It was one of the few stops that Tennessee's defense forced in the 45-42 win.

Kentucky was 12-for-17 on third downs and 1-for-4 on fourth downs on Saturday night. The Wildcats never punted while picking up 612 total yards.

The Vols' lackluster defensive effort will be the big story of the game. But it shouldn't be.

The big story of the game should be UT quarterback Hendon Hooker and the Vols' offense.

Hooker, a quarterback who was an afterthought at Virginia Tech a year ago, has turned into one of the best quarterbacks in the nation in 2021.

The Greensboro, NC native was 15-for-20 for 316 yards, four touchdowns, and 0 interceptions against Kentucky.

Tennessee beat Kentucky on Saturday night because of Hooker. They beat the Wildcats because the offense played at an elite level.

Vols head coach Josh Heupel likes to say that every game is its own story. And that's absolutely true. Some games the offense is the story. Other games, the defense is the story. You never really know what the story of the game will be (I thought the Ole Miss game would be a shootout and I thought 30 points would be enough to beat Kentucky).

Tennessee's defense has exceeded expectations this season. But on Saturday night, the defense didn't play well at all. The offense had to pick up the slack. That's just the way this game went. It doesn't necessarily mean the defense is going to struggle the rest of the season.

Remember, this is a defense that kept Alabama in check for three quarters a couple of weeks ago (before running out of gas). They didn't suddenly forget how to play effective defense. And defensive coordinator Tim Banks didn't suddenly forget how to coach.

Kentucky's offensive game plan worked. They were able to hold the ball for long periods of time, wear UT's defense down and exploit Tennessee's inability to contain quarterback scrambles.

But Tennessee's offensive game plan worked better. And ultimately that was the difference.

The Vols beat a ranked SEC opponent on the road on Saturday night. That's all that fans should take away from this game.

Tennessee's defense showed up when it mattered. They got the fourth-down stop to seal the game. Enjoy the win. The Vols are playing better than anyone expected this season.

Maybe Heupel is the coach that's finally going to get the Vols back to being relevant on an annual basis.

Featured image via USA TODAY