Brad White’s defense held the Ole Miss Rebels’ high-powered offense in check, and tight end Josh Kattus recovered a Gavin Wimsatt fumble in the end-zone with 2:25 left to help the Kentucky Wildcats pull off a stunning 20-17 upset victory over the fifth-ranked Rebels Saturday afternoon at Vaught Hemingway Stadium.
It was the Wildcats’ (3-2) first win in Oxford since 1978, and the program’s first win against a top 10 team on the road since 1977 when Kentucky defeated No. 4 Penn State in Happy Valley.
Ole Miss (4-1), which came into the game leading all FBS schools in total offense with 670 yards per game, was held to 353 yards by Kentucky’s defense.
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Early on, it looked like the Rebels were on their way to another offensive explosion. It took senior quarterback Jaxson Dart only five plays and 2:09 off the clock to find the end-zone on the game’s first possession. Henry Parrish Jr. scored from a yard out for an early 7-0 Ole Miss lead.
The Rebels, it turned out, wouldn’t find the end zone again until 10 seconds left in the third quarter. By that point, Kentucky had already established itself as a team that came ready to pull off the biggest upset of the season in college football through the first five weeks.
After settling for an early 27-yard field goal with 5:13 to play in the first quarter, Kentucky closed the half with all the momentum when Dane Key caught a five-yard touchdown pass from Brock Vandagriff to give the Wildcats a 10-7 lead.
That capped a 13-play, 81-yard drive that took 5:42 off the clock and included two catches from Key of 16 and 24 yards, respectively.
At halftime, Kentucky’s defense had held the Rebels to 129 yards. In the second quarter alone, Kentucky held Ole Miss to just 12 yards. Key had six catches for 69 yards in the first half.
Late in the third quarter, Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin gambled on a 4th and 7 just past midfield. Dart hit receiver Tre Harris, who made up for a fumble moments earlier in the red zone, for a 48-yard touchdown strike to give the Rebels their first lead of the second half at 17-13.
With Kentucky’s offense appearing dead in the water, it looked like the start of an Ole Miss takeover.
The moment never came, though, and with Kentucky facing 4th and 7 from its own 20, Mark Stoops rolled the dice in a big way. Vandagriff hit Barion Brown for a long pass and a first down to the Ole Miss 17. The play went for 63 yards, the longest completion of the season for Vandagriff.
Demie Sumo-Karngbaye ran for 11 yards and a first down to the 6-yard line with three minutes to play. Wimsatt carried it near the goal line before the ball popped out. Kattus recovered it in the end-zone for the lead with just over two minutes left after Alex Raynor’s extra point.
On Ole Miss’ last drive, Dart converted on 4th and 11 from deep in his own territory when he rolled out and found an open Caden Prieskorn for a 41-yard completion to the Kentucky 34-yard line.
Facing fourth down after a big sack from JJ Weaver, Kiffin brought senior kicker Caden Davis on for a potential game-tying 48-yard field goal. Davis’ kick sailed far to the left with 48 seconds to play, ensuring Stoops of the biggest win in his 12 seasons as Kentucky’s coach.
The Wildcats finished with fewer yards than Ole Miss (336 to 353) but held the ball for 39:48 to the Rebels’ 20:12 in time of possession.
Vandagriff was 18-of-28 passing for 243 yards and a touchdown. Key finished with eight catches for 105 yards, and Brown hauled in five passes for 88 yards.
Dart was 18-of-27 for 261 yards and a touchdown. Kentucky’s defense registered four sacks of the Ole Miss quarterback, including two from fourth-year senior Octavious Oxendine.
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