By CHRIS BURROWS Associated Press
OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — Kentucky dragged another highly ranked opponent into the muck, and this time coach Mark Stoops and the Wildcats closed the deal.
Kentucky upset No. 6 Mississippi 20-17 on Saturday, when Rebels kicker Caden Davis hooked a 48-yard field-goal attempt way wide with 48 seconds left in the fourth quarter to give the Wildcats their highest-ranked win of Stoops’ 12-year career.
“It was our kind of game. A dirty, ugly, hard-fought game,” Stoops said. “We went out and did what we had to do. We played our way. I know it’s only one game, but it was a very important game for us. Obviously, I could not be more proud of this team.”
The Rebels (4-1, 0-1 Southeastern Conference) had a seven-game winning streak snapped and were shocked as a 15 1/2-point favorite according to BetMGM Sportsbook in their SEC opener.
“Beyond disappointing. It’s a disappointing day,” Mississippi coach Lane Kiffin said. “The game comes down at the end with us having a chance to win in every phase and we didn’t do it. Got to give credit to Stoops.”
The Wildcats (3-2, 1-2) took a three-point lead with 2:25 left in the fourth quarter, with a little fumble luck. Backup quarterback Gavin Wimsatt was heading toward the goal line with a keeper when an Ole Miss defender knocked the ball free — right to tight end Josh Kattus, who fell into the end zone.
Two weeks after Stoops faced criticism for not being aggressive enough late in the game on fourth down in a 13-12 loss against then-No. 1 Georgia, the Wildcats’ go-ahead drive was kept alive with a 63-yard completion from Brock Vandagriff to Barion Brown on fourth-and-7 at the Kentucky 20.
Vandagriff passed for 243 yards and a touchdown, helping Kentucky play keep-away from the Rebels’ high-powered offense. The Wildcats held the ball for nearly 40 minutes.
Jaxson Dart converted a fourth-and-11 with a 42-yard pass to Caden Prieskorn on the Rebels’ final drive, but two plays later Dart took a sack that sent Ole Miss the wrong way as it tried to get in field-goal range.
Davis’ potential tying kick came on a fourth-and-7.
Dart finished with with 261 yards passing, but after Ole Miss averaged 55 points against overmatched nonconference opponents, the Rebels found the end zone only once after an opening drive touchdown.
Tre Harris led the Rebels with 11 receptions for 176 yards, including a 48-yard touchdown that gave them a 17-13 lead.
Dane Key had eight catches for 105 yards and a touchdown that gave Kentucky a 10-7 halftime lead.
“All I can tell you is Stoops is in the air in the locker room,” Key said. “That’s a pretty good thing.”
THE TAKEAWAY
Kentucky: The combination of winning the turnover battle (1-0), effectiveness in the red zone (3 for 3) and converting on fourth down (3 for 3) proved to be the difference. The defense has given up only 36 points in the last three games.
Kentucky hadn’t beaten such a highly ranked team on the road since 1977, when the Wildcats won at No. 4 Penn State.
“On the critical downs, we made the critical plays,” Stoops said. “We were not sloppy, we got a turnover and we’ve gotten better every week.”
Mississippi: A season of high expectations, spurred by a star-studded transfer portal class, already has hit a bump. Ole Miss will need a strong October bounceback against a schedule that includes three road games and home dates with No. 21 Oklahoma and No. 2 Georgia.
BIG-PLAY DEFENSE
The Kentucky defense limited Ole Miss to season lows in nearly every statistical categories, allowing 353 total yards. The Wildcats had seven tackles for loss, four sacks and held the Rebels to 1 of 10 on third down.
“Our coaches have preached consistency and we really had a lot of confidence coming into this game,” said Octavious Oxendine, who had two sacks.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
How far will the Rebels drop after losing an SEC home opener? The highest-ranked team with one loss is No. 12 Michigan. The AP Top 25 has nine other teams with one loss, so Ole Miss figures to land around there.
UP NEXT
Kentucky is idle.
Ole Miss visits South Carolina on Saturday.
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