SEC football final: Kentucky 20, No. 6-ranked Ole Miss 17

john clay

Sat, Sep 28, 2024, 11:00 a.m.·4 min read

Packing their travel bags for the first time this 2024 season, the Kentucky Wildcats travel to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium for an SEC matchup with the explosive and No. 6-ranked Ole Miss Rebels. ABC is the television network for the noon ET start.

Mark Stoops’ Kentucky team improved to 2-2 with a 41-6 win over Ohio University last week. The Cats are 0-2 in the conference with home losses to South Carolina (31-6) and Georgia (13-12).

Ole Miss is 4-0 and leads the nation in scoring offense, total offense and run defense. This is the SEC opener for Lane Kiffin’s team, however. The Rebels have roasted a quartet of nonconference foes — 76-0 over Furman; 52-3 over Middle Tennessee; 40-6 at Wake Forest and 52-13 over Georgia Southern.

Jon Hale, Ryan Hermens and yours truly will be in the press box on Saturday. Follow us on X/Twitter at @jonhale_hl, @ryanhermens and @johnclayiv.

Or you can follow a Kentucky football X/Twitter list by clicking here.

Final: Kentucky 20, Ole Miss 17

▪ Final stats from Kentucky’s upset win over the Rebels.

▪ Ole Miss’ Caden Davis misses a 48-yard field goal wide left with 48 seconds remaining.

▪ UK tight end Josh Kattus recovers a Gavin Wimsatt fumble in the end zone for a touchdown with 2:25 left. UK leads Ole Miss 20-17.

▪ On fourth-and-7 from UK’s own 20-yard line, Brock Vandagriff hits Barion Brown with a 63-yard bomb down the left sideline to the Ole Miss 17.

▪ UK had Jordan Dingle wide open on a second-and-7, but ball was tipped at line and fell incomplete. Vandagriff was sacked on next play. Cats punted. Ole Miss takes over on its own 33 with 6:40 left, leading 17-13.

▪ Kentucky has a first down at own 41 with 7:50 left as play is stopped for an Ole Miss injury.

End of 3Q: Ole Miss 17, Kentucky 13

▪ Stats after three quarters.

▪ On a fourth-and-7 from UK 48, Dart hits Harris open in the middle and he takes it for a touchdown to give Ole Miss a 17-13 lead with 10 seconds left in the third quarter.

▪ After Ole Miss tied the game at 10-10, UK drove to the Ole Miss 30 where Raynor booted a 48-yard field goal. Cats lead 13-10 with 6:32 left in the third quarter.

▪ After Kentucky went three-and-out on its first possession of the second half, Ole Miss drove 51 yards in 10 plays for a Caden Davis’ 31-yard field goal. That tied the game with 9:44 left in the third quarter.

Halftime: Kentucky 10, Ole Miss 7

▪ First half stats as UK holds a 10-7 lead over the No. 6-ranked Rebels. UK held Ole Miss to 129 yards in the first half. Lane Kiffin’s team entered the game leading the nation in both scoring and total offense.

Kentucky drove 81 yards in 13 plays to take a 10-7 lead with 27 seconds left in the first half. Vandagriff to Key for the 5-yard score. Couple of Ole Miss penalties helped the drive.

▪ With 2 minutes left in the first half, Kentucky has outgained Ole Miss 146-128.

▪ Kentucky forces a third straight Ole Miss punt.

▪ Kentucky drove from own 9-yard line to midfield but ended up punting. Ole Miss takes over at own 17 with 7:52 left in the first half.

Ole Miss leads Kentucky 7-3 in Oxford, Mississippi. @heraldleader @KentuckySports @JonHale_HL pic.twitter.com/9EgG0Yf9qM
— Ryan C. Hermens (@ryanhermens) September 28, 2024

End of 1Q: Ole Miss 7, Kentucky 3

▪ Stats at end of first quarter with the No. 6-ranked Rebels leading the Cats 7-3.

▪ Kentucky goes three-and-out on its second possession. On third down, Brock Vandagriff was sacked for an 11-yard loss.

▪ Rare three-and-out for Ole Miss on its second possession. Good series for Kentucky defensive lineman Deone Walker. Two pressures. One set up sack by Octavious Oxendine.

▪ After Ole Miss’ quick score, Kentucky drives back down the field for a first-and-10 at the Rebels’ 11. Drive stalls there. Alex Raynor kicks a field goal to cut the Ole Miss lead to 7-3 with 5:13 left in the first quarter. The drive lasted 15 plays and covered 66 yards.

▪ After a video review overturned a fumble on the opening kickoff, Ole Miss marched 84 yards in six plays in just 2:05 to take a 7-0 lead. Henry Parrish scored the TD from a yard out with 12:51 left in the first quarter.