No. 6 Ole Miss upset by Kentucky in SEC opener, 20–17, after missing game-tying field goal

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, who outran three Kentucky defenders for the score.

Harris caught 11 passes for 176 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.