Kentucky football knocks off No. 6 Ole Miss with late touchdown off a fumble recovery

Kentucky football finally caught a break in its series against Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss.

Facing first-and-goal at the 6-yard line late in the fourth quarter, backup quarterback Gavin Wimsatt fumbled near the goal line on a wildcat formation carry, but the ball bounced to tight end Josh Kattus in the end zone for a go-ahead touchdown.

Ole Miss then missed a 48-yard field goal wide left with 48 seconds left to give Kentucky’s program its fifth win over a top-six team in the Associated Press top 25 with a 20-17 victory.

UK quarterback Brock Vandagriff completed 18 of 28 passes for 243 yards and one touchdown in the win. Wide receiver Dane Key caught eight passes for 105 yards and one score.

But the offense only had the chance to win because of a stellar defensive showing against one of the nation’s best offenses. Ole Miss entered the game averaging 670 yards per game but was held to 353 yards.

Ole Miss looked the part of the nation’s best offense on its first possession, marching 83 yards on six plays in just 2:05 to take a 7-0 lead on a 1-yard Henry Parrish touchdown run, but Kentucky’s defense settled in from there.

The Wildcats forced punts on the next three Ole Miss drives then ended the half with a sack as the Rebels were trying to move into field goal range.

A 27-yard Alex Raynor field goal put UK on the board on its first drive. The Wildcats then scored their first touchdown in an SEC game for a 10-7 lead with 27 seconds left in the first half on a 5-yard pass from Vandagriff to Key.

Ole Miss tied the game with a 31-yard field goal on its first possession of the second half, but Kentucky answered with a 48-yard field goal from Raynor.

A replay review gave Kentucky a fumble recovery in the red zone on the next drive, but the Wildcats were unable to convert the turnover into points. Ole Miss then retook the lead on a 48-yard touchdown pass from Dart to Tre Harris on a fourth-and-7 play on the next drive.

TURNING POINT

Facing fourth-and-7 at its own 20-yard line with 4:07 remaining Kentucky finally found the explosive play the offense had lacked for weeks. The offensive line protected Vandagriff long enough to uncork a deep ball down the left sideline to Barion Brown, who made one cut and ran for a 63-yard gain. Two plays later, UK took the lead on the Kattus fumble recovery.

PLAYER OF THE GAME

UK’s entire defense combined to post one of the best performances in program history given the opponent, but defensive tackle Deone Walker deserves special notice. Ole Miss struggled to block the projected first-round draft pick for most of the afternoon. He was credited with four tackles, one tackle for loss and one-half sack but had a hand in creating pressure on multiple other plays that kept Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart uncomfortable throughout.

KEY STAT

Ole Miss had punted just four times in its first four games, but punted five times Saturday, including three times in the first half.

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