The Ole Miss football team took a six-spot dip in the Associated Press’ latest top 25 after being upset by Kentucky 20-17 in front of a record-breaking home crowd.
Ole Miss, previously ranked No. 6, was outmatched by Kentucky’s strong defensive presence up front and could not overcome the Wildcats’ methodic offensive strategy of milking the clock with each drive.
Lane Kiffin’s bunch, led by quarterback Jaxson Dart and wide receiver Tre Harris, scored on the sixth play of the game before being slowed and kept out of the end zone for the remainder of the first half. Kentucky took advantage of the Rebels’ offensive ineptitude and carried a 10-7 lead into the intermission.
After both teams exchanged field goals to start the second half, the pendulum of momentum temporarily swung to the Rebels’ side when Dart connected with Harris on fourth-and-seven from the 48-yard-line to give Ole Miss a 20-13 lead.
The Rebels stalled again offensively in their next two drives and opened the door for Kentucky to play spoiler as a road underdog — and that they did. On a crucial fourth down deep in Kentucky territory, Wildcat quarterback Brock Vandagriff heaved up a perfectly thrown deep ball to wideout Barion Brown in man coverage for a 62-yard gain. The Wildcats soon found themselves near the goalline. A keeper by Gavin Wimsmatt was fumbled in the end zone, but recovered by a fellow Wildcat for the leading touchdown.
Though Kentucky had gone up, the Rebels had just over two minutes remaining to make something happen offensively. Following two failed attempts to gain positive yardage and a first-down reception that was later ruled an incompletion, Dart found himself in dire need of making a big play on fourth-and-long.
And that he did. The Rebel field general located his tight end Caden Prieskorn for the first time in the contest for 42 yards to flip the field. The Rebels worked their way into field-goal range. On fourth-and-seven from the 31-yard-line, veteran kicker Caden Davis set up from 48 yards out. A high snap, a hurried setup, and a hooked kick prevented Ole Miss from sending the game into overtime, stamping the Rebels’ first loss of the 2024 campaign.
A full recap of Saturday’s contest can be found here.
Ole Miss losing to the Wildcats certainly handicapped the Rebels’ hopes of making their first-ever College Football Playoff. However, both Kiffin and Dart have expressed their full support and optimism that the team can bounce back.
The Rebels will have that opportunity next Saturday as Ole Miss will continue conference play at South Carolina (3-1, 1-1 SEC) at 2:30 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast on ESPN and participating SuperTalk Mississippi stations.
The full top 25 can be found below:
- Alabama
- Texas
- Ohio State
- Tennessee
- Georgia
- Oregon
- Penn State
- Miami
- Missouri
- Michigan
- USC
- Ole Miss
- LSU
- Notre Dame
- Clemson
- Iowa State
- BYU
- Utah
- Oklahoma
- Kansas State
- Boise State
- Louisville
- Indiana
- Illinois
- UNLV
