Log in

Kentucky upsets No. 6 Mississippi 20-17 with late TD and missed FG by Rebels in final minute

Posted 9/28/24

Kentucky upset No. 6 Mississippi 20-17, 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 …

You must be a member to read this story.

Join our family of readers for as little as $5 per month and support local, unbiased journalism.


Already have an account? Log in to continue.

Current print subscribers can create a free account by clicking here

Otherwise, follow the link below to join.

To Our Valued Readers –

Visitors to our website will be limited to five stories per month unless they opt to subscribe. The five stories do not include our exclusive content written by our journalists.

For $6.99, less than 20 cents a day, digital subscribers will receive unlimited access to YourValley.net, including exclusive content from our newsroom and access to our Daily Independent e-edition.

Our commitment to balanced, fair reporting and local coverage provides insight and perspective not found anywhere else.

Your financial commitment will help to preserve the kind of honest journalism produced by our reporters and editors. We trust you agree that independent journalism is an essential component of our democracy. Please click here to subscribe.

Sincerely,
Charlene Bisson, Publisher, Independent Newsmedia

Please log in to continue

Log in
I am anchor

Kentucky upsets No. 6 Mississippi 20-17 with late TD and missed FG by Rebels in final minute

Posted

OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — 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 coach Mark Stoops' 12-year career.

The Rebels (4-0, 0-1 Southeastern Conference) had a seven-game winning streak snapped and were shocked as a double-digit favorite in their SEC opener.

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 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 only found the end zone once after an opening drive touchdown.

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-fior-3) proved to be the difference. The defense has given up only 36 points in the last three games, including two against highly-ranked opponents.

Kentucky hadn't not beaten such a highly ranked team on the road since 1977, when the Wildcats won at No. 4 Penn State.

Mississippi: A season of high expectations, spurred by a star-studded transfer portal class, has already 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.

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 Top 25 poll 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.

____

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football