Adams: After Vols' loss to Kentucky, what is John Currie waiting for?

Kentucky stepped out of character Saturday night at Kroger Field. And it might have delivered a finishing kick to the Butch Jones Era of Tennessee football in the process.

The Wildcats should have been a Dream Team for a Tennessee coach on the hot seat.

More: How Tennessee Vols lost to Kentucky 29-26

They had lost five consecutive games and 31 of the last 32 in the lopsided series. They seemingly were fumbling their way toward more of the same when the game turned topsy-turvy on their final drive.

Kentucky quarterback Stephen Johnson capped a 72-yard scoring drive with an 11-yard touchdown run with 33 seconds to play and then tossed a two-point conversion pass to Benny Snell Jr. for the 29-26 victory.

You have to wonder how much more evidence Tennessee athletic director John Currie needs to fire UT’s fifth-year coach.

The Vols are now wobbling along at 3-5 overall and 0-5 in the SEC. That's about where they were four years ago when Jones began cleaning up the mess coaches Phillip Fulmer, Lane Kiffin and Derek Dooley left behind.

More: Daniel Bituli ejected in first half for second unsportsmanlike conduct penalty

But after back-to-back 9-4 seasons, the program is headed in the wrong direction. Currie has the next move.

Sunday would be an appropriate time to announce Jones' dismissal and officially began the search for a replacement.

After UT's back-to-back losses to Georgia and South Carolina, the large majority fans were ready for a change. Some thought the change would come after a 45-7 loss to Alabama the previous Saturday.

There's surely no point in waiting past Sunday. The Vols still have a shot at a bowl game and might even get a boost if Currie brought closure to all the coaching speculation.

More: Kentucky 29, Tennessee 26: Five things we learned from another close loss

Kentucky became bowl eligible at UT's expense Saturday. But that probably didn't cross its players' minds.

They were too caught up in the present that was so different from their past.

John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or john.adams@knoxnews.com. Follow him at: Twitter.com/johnadamskns.