Tennessee DB earns national honor for standout performance in win over Kentucky
By Jacob Moss
Published:
The No. 13 Tennessee Volunteers are coming off their biggest win of the 2026 season in Week 10, handing the No. 6 Kentucky Wildcats a 34-6 loss under the lights at Neyland Stadium on Saturday night.
Defense carried the day for the Vols, with the secondary in particular giving Kentucky quarterback Kenny Minchey fits throughout the game while holding the Wildcats to their lowest scoring output of the season.
Senior defensive back Qua Moss led the way for Tennessee with arguably the best performance of his career, earning Shriners Children’s East-West Bowl Defensive Player of the Week honors for his efforts.
Moss was all over the field for the Vols, putting together one of the most impressive stat lines for a defensive back in recent memory. He finished the night with 9 total tackles, 1 sack, 1 tackle for loss, 1 pass breakup and 2 forced fumbles.
The former Kansas State standout made the move to Knoxville last offseason and has quickly emerged as one of the leaders on defensive coordinator Jim Knowles’ unit, which has been among the best in the nation this year.
Tennessee is now in prime position to make its second College Football Playoff appearance in the last three seasons following its win over Kentucky, and Moss has played as big a role as anyone in the Volunteers’ success.
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