No. 6 Ole Miss opened SEC play with an upset loss to Kentucky, 20–17, in Oxford on Saturday. The Rebels came into their SEC opener 4–0, but didn’t face much competition in those first four games.
Caden Davis missed a 48-yard field goal with 48 seconds remaining that would have tied the score. Ole Miss drove 44 yards in eight plays, but stalled out at the Kentucky 31-yard line before lining up for the final kick.
The Wildcats scored the go-ahead touchdown with Josh Kattus recovering a fumble by Gavin Wimsatt in the end zone with 2:25 remaining in the fourth quarter. That finished off a six-play, 83-yard drive highlighted by Brock Vandagriff connecting with Barion Brown for a 63-yard play on fourth-and-7 from the Kentucky 20-yard line.
Vandagriff passed for 243 yards on 18-of-28 passing with a touchdown for Kentucky. Dane Key had eight receptions for 105 yards and a score, while Demie Sumo-Karngbaye rushed for 47 yards on 11 carries.
Ole Miss took a 17–13 lead on Jaxson Dart‘s 48-yard touchdown pass to Tre Harris at the end of the third quarter. On fourth-and-7, Dart hit Harris and the senior receiver outran three Kentucky defenders for the score.
Harris caught 11 passes for 196 yards and a touchdown. Dart passed for 261 yards, completing 18-of-27 passes. Henry Parrish Jr. led the Rebels in rushing with 62 yards and a score on 13 carries.
Meanwhile, Kentucky has had a perplexing season since head coach Mark Stoops reportedly nearly left for Texas A&M last November. After losing 31–6 to South Carolina, the Wildcats turned around and nearly upset then-No. 1 Georgia, falling short 13–12. This time, they beat the higher-ranked conference foe – and on the road.
Ole Miss travels to Columbia to face the Gamecocks (3–1) next Saturday for a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff. Kentucky takes a bye week before hosting Vanderbilt (2–2) on Oct. 12.
