Kentucky Knocks Off No. 6 Ole Miss 20-17

Kentucky just picked up its biggest win on the road since 1977. The Wildcats completed an improbable fourth-quarter comeback to defeat No. 6 Ole Miss 20-17.

The Kentucky defense came up big time and time again. A second straight three-and-out gave the offense the ball back with 4:48 to play. The Cats looked dead in the water, forced to go for it on 4th and 7 from their own 20-yard line. Then Barion Brown made some magic.

The junior wide receiver made his longest catch of the year, a 69-yard gain that put Kentucky in the red zone. Two plays later, Gavin Wimsatt fumbled the Wildcat run and Josh Kattus recovered it in the end zone to give the Cats a lead with 2:25 to play.

Later on the drive, Kentucky recovered its own fumble for a go-ahead touchdown!

20-17 lead at No. 6 Ole Miss. 🏈👀 pic.twitter.com/lpuobBssuU

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 28, 2024

Kentucky had Ole Miss on the ropes with less than two minutes to play. On 4th and 11 safety Kristian Story let the tight end slip behind him and Ole Miss gained 42 yards to get near field goal range. JJ Weaver almost stripped Jaxson Dart on the next play. Dart did get stripped one play later, but the Cats were offsides, keeping Ole Miss within striking distance.

The Rebels lined up for a game-tying 48-yard field goal with less than a minute to play and the kicker hooked it left, giving Kentucky the improbable win.

Ole Miss Delivers First Blow, Kentucky Defense Responds

The Ole Miss offense was as good as advertised to start the game. They landed a haymaker on the opening drive. Tre Harris caught a pair of passes for 51 yards to set up an easy score for Henry Parrish.

The same thought crossed every Kentucky fan’s mind: “Oh no, this might get ugly.” Fortunately, that was not the case whatsoever.

The Kentucky offense responded with a 15-play drive that ticked off almost eight minutes of time off the clock and ended with a field goal. The defense settled down and got after Jaxson Dart. Kentucky sacked the quarterback three times and Ole Miss only picked up 31 yards on 17 snaps for the rest of the first half.

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Dane Key is a Dawg

After tallying a career-high 145 receiving yards in week four against Ohio, Dane Key kept the momentum rolling in Oxford. It felt like he had a little unfinished business from his last trip that ended with his go-ahead touchdown wiped away by a penalty.

Brock Vandagriff targeted Key early and often. The only thing stopping the two were Ole Miss defenders who were draped all over him. The pass interference flags finally started flying on the final drive of the half. One on third and long and one in the end zone got the Cats close enough for Vandagriff to throw a pretty pass to Key in the corner of the end zone for Kentucky’s first touchdown against an SEC opponent this fall and a 10-7 halftime lead.

HUGE Red Zone Stops for the Kentucky

You can only contain this Ole Miss offense for so long. Fortunately, the Kentucky defense was ready to step up in the red zone.

On the first Ole Miss possession of the half, Parrish was rolling through the heart of the Kentucky defense into the red zone. Instead of surrendering a touchdown, the Cats forced a field goal.

The offense got the lead back with an Alex Raynor field goal. It looked like Ole Miss was on its way to another score after JQ Hardaway slipped, leading to a Tre Harris 39-yard reception. On the following play, Hardaway stuffed the run. He followed it up with a forced fumble on the next snap. In two red zone possessions to start the second half, Ole Miss left the field with only three points.

Ole Miss Turns 4th and 8 into a Touchdown

Kentucky had a chance to tilt the game in its favor at the end of the third quarter. D’Eryk Jackson made an excellent tackle for loss to force 4th and 8 near midfield.

With the Cats’ offense struggling, conventional wisdom would tell you to punt the ball to Kentucky and make them drive 80+ yards to score. Lane Kiffin went against that conventional wisdom and it worked. The Cats blitzed and it didn’t get home. Harris had a one-on-one and turned it into a 48-yard go-ahead touchdown.

That looked like a dagger, but Kentucky persevered. What a win.