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, on Saturday in Oxford. The Rebels came into their SEC opener 4-0, but haven't faced much competition in those first four games.

Caden Davis missed a 48-yard field goal with 48 seconds left that would have tied the score. Ole Miss drove 44 yards in eight plays, but was stopped at the Kentucky 31-yard line before lining up for the final kick.

The Wildcats recovered a fumble by Gavin Wimsatt in the end zone with Josh Kattas scoring the go-ahead touchdown with 2:25 left in the fourth quarter. It capped a six-play, 83-yard drive that was highlighted by Brock Vandagriff connecting with Baryon Brown for a 63-yard play on fourth-and-7 from the Kentucky 20-yard line.

Vandagriff went 18-of-28 passing for 243 yards with a touchdown for Kentucky. Dane Key had eight receptions for 105 yards and a score, while Demi Sumo-Karngbaye ran for 47 yards on 11 carries.

Ole Miss took a 17–13 lead late in the third quarter on Jackson Dart's 48-yard touchdown pass to Trey Harris. 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 with 62 yards and a score on 13 carries.

Meanwhile, Kentucky has had a confusing season since head coach Mark Stoops almost left for Texas A&M last November. After a 31-6 loss to South Carolina, the Wildcats turned around and nearly pulled off an upset. 1 Georgia, falls short 13-12. This time, they beat a higher-ranked conference foe — and on the road.

Ole Miss will travel to Columbia next Saturday to face the Gamecocks (3-1) for a 3:30 pm ET kickoff. Kentucky takes a week off before hosting Vanderbilt (2-2) on Oct. 12.