Kentucky stunned Ole Miss 20-17 in Oxford on Saturday afternoon.

This was a back-and-forth game for much of the afternoon, but Ole Miss led for most of the 4th quarter until the Wildcats were able to take the lead late following a miracle 4th down conversion.

It’s the first SEC win of the year for Kentucky after it dropped its first 2 meetings against South Carolina and Georgia. For Ole Miss, the Rebels are now 0-1 in SEC play after sweeping its nonconference slate.

Here are 3 takeaways from this game:

Kentucky’s miracle comeback

Mark Stoops and the Wildcats found themselves trailing 17-13 with about 4 minutes left in the 4th quarter on Saturday. UK was facing a 4th and 7 from its own 7-yard-line. But rather than punt it away, Stoops decided to go for it.

Kentucky’s offense rewarded that decision, as Brock Vandagriff found Barion Brown for a 68-yard play to put the Wildcats in the red zone. It was Kentucky’s first play of 50+ yards this season.

A few plays later, Kentucky took the lead with 2:25 remaining after a Wildcats player was able to fall on a fumble in the end zone after quarterback Gavin Wimsatt coughed it up.

The Wildcats never relinquished that 20-17 advantage. Ole Miss drove the ball down the field and got in field goal range, but the Rebels were forced to attempt a 48-yarder in the final minute on 4th down. The kick was shanked wide left, giving Kentucky its first win in Oxford since 1978.

Kentucky’s defense is legit

Even before Kentucky ultimately clinched this win, it proved its defense was legit. The Rebels only averaged 6.3 yards per play, which is by far their lowest total of the season. Even that number was significantly enhanced by a small handful of explosive plays.

On a down-to-down basis, the Rebels struggled for long stretches offensively in this game. For example, in the second quarter alone, Ole Miss averaged just 1.3 yards per play and achieved just 1 first down in 9 plays.

Ole Miss’ running game was particularly bad. The Rebels averaged just 3.1 yards per rush after starting the day with a yards-per-carry average of 6.2. Kentucky was able to control the line of scrimmage on that side of the ball, which was a big reason why the Wildcats were ultimately able to pull off this win.

Ole Miss’ CFP hopes

With the 12-team College Football Playoff model, Ole Miss certainly is not out of the mix because of one SEC defeat. However, the Rebels may find that they’re low on margin-for-error moving forward as a result of this loss to the Wildcats.

It’s too early to know what the threshold will be for a CFP at-large berth, but it seems likely that a 10-2 record will be required for SEC teams to feel confident in their place in the top-12. Ole Miss still has 3 games remaining this season against ranked teams, including a home matchup against No. 2 Georgia on Nov. 9. The Rebels also host Oklahoma and will go on the road to face LSU in the month of October.

Ole Miss will try to get back in the win column next weekend on the road at South Carolina.