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Ole Miss falls to Kentucky as top-10 team loses to start Week 5 action
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Ole Miss has been knocked out of the ranks of the unbeaten in its 2024 SEC opener, suffering a 20-17 loss against Kentucky to start Saturday’s Week 5 slate.
Lane Kiffin’s team had made quick work of their first 4 opponents, outscoring them 220-22. And it looked as if the N0. 6 team in the country might breeze past the Wildcats as they opened up a 7-0 lead just over 2 minutes into the contest.
But their vaunted offense stalled out, punting on the remainder of their first-half possessions outside of the one that ended the half. Coming into the day, Ole Miss had punted just four times all season long.
Meanwhile, the Wildcats took a 10-7 lead, capping a 13-play drive with a touchdown with 27 seconds left in the second quarter. Ole Miss eventually pulled ahead 17-13, but Gavin Wimsatt’s fumble near the end zone was fallen upon by Josh Kattus with less than 2-and-a-half minutes remaining as the Wildcats went up 20-17.
Ole Miss had a chance to tie it, but a 48-yard field goal by Caden Davis ended the Rebels’ last-gasp drive as Kentucky pulled off a stunning upset.
Jaxson Dart looked almost unstoppable in his first 4 games, so an 18-of-27, 261-yard, 1-touchdown performance (plus 13 carries for just 22 yards) looks very pedestrian by his standards. The Heisman Trophy talk will cool considerably after this loss.
Meanwhile, the Rebels were just 1-of-10 on 3rd down.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
