Lane Kiffin Sounds Off After Embarrassing Upset Loss to Kentucky

Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss came up short in their SEC opener against Kentucky, falling 20-17 on Saturday after a late comeback attempt fizzled out.

Heisman-hopeful quarterback Jaxson Dart and the Rebels were on the move late. But some bad decision-making led to a 48-yard game-tying field goal attempt hooking wide.

The game changed late in the fourth quarter, with Kentucky quarterback Brock Vandagriff completing a 63-yard pass to Barion Brown on fourth down. A few plays later, Josh Kattus punched in the eventual game-winning score.

"Beyond disappointing day," Kiffin said after the loss . "You've got to close people out. You can't let people hang around. Things happen. They throw a go-route on fourth-and-seven and catch it. You don't want to get to that point. You want to finish them off before that when we have the ball and the lead. You can't let people hang around, especially in this conference."

The No. 6 Rebels fall to 4-1 with the loss but have a questionable resume. Ole Miss won against Furman, Middle Tennessee, Wake Forest and Georgia Southern.

"All of a sudden, our program isn't terrible," Kiffin said before breaking down some late-game moments that didn't go the Rebels' way. "I’m not going to overreact after to a loss just like I’m not going to overreact after a tight win.”

Ole Miss will look to rebound against South Carolina next week before big games against LSU and Oklahoma.

Related: Everyone is Saying the Same Thing About Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart After Kentucky Upset