No. 14 Mississippi beats mistake-prone No. 7 Kentucky 22-19

OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — Lane Kiffin modified his opinion of his protection after No. 14 Mississippi pressured two turnovers within the last three minutes to protect a 22-19 win over No. 7 Kentucky on Saturday.

“Our guys actually confirmed up, particularly within the fourth quarter, getting these two turnovers to win it,” Kiffin mentioned. “I had instructed them at halftime, I didn’t suppose they have been excellent. On the finish, our group discovered a method to come via.”

Even higher, Austin Keys and Jared Ivey every created these takeaways contained in the crimson zone. They pressured Wildcats quarterback Will Levis to fumble on consecutive possessions with AJ Finley and Tavius Robinson recovering every, respectively.

Each performs stopped potential game-winning drives contained in the 20 to protect the victory for the Rebels (5-0, 1-0 Southeastern Convention).

Jonathan Cruz’s go-ahead, 26-yard subject aim late within the third quarter put Ole Miss up 22-19 and set the stage for the tense, frantic end. The Rebels’ protection first pressured the Wildcats to show over the ball over on downs early within the fourth earlier than creating the turnovers to seal the win.

“We actually had our alternatives,” Kentucky coach Mark Stoops mentioned. “It got here down with two alternatives late within the crimson zone. We got here away with zero.”

Levis led Kentucky (4-0, 1-1) to the Ole Miss 18 earlier than fumbling whereas diving for added yardage. The Wildcats created a last alternative on Levis 51-yard move to Barion Brown to the 7. After a touchdown-nullifying unlawful movement penalty, Levis fumbled on the subsequent play on a sack by Ivey with 58 seconds remaining.

“I stayed on my toes, put a transfer on their sort out, received the bend (angle) and reached out to slap on the ball. After that, it was a blur,” Ivey mentioned. “Coach (Kiffin) mentioned I missed 4 possibilities within the final recreation to make a play and it was about time for me to make one.”

Ole Miss working again Quinshon Judkins rushed 15 instances for 106 yards, together with a 48-yard landing that constructed a 14-0 first-quarter lead. Zach Evans added a 4-yard scoring run and Tavius Robinson was credited with a security after an intentional grounding penalty by Kentucky for a 19-12 halftime lead.

Jaxson Dart was 15 of 29 passing for 213 yards because the Rebels completed with 399 yards of complete offense. Troy Brown and Finley had a game-high 9 tackles apiece and the Rebels had 9 stops for loss.

Levis tossed TD passes of 5 and 17 yards, respectively, to Tayvion Robinson and Jordan Dingle. The QB accomplished 18 of 24 makes an attempt however was sacked 3 times apart from the 2 late fumbles.

Brown’s game-breaking pace added 164 return yards and 81 yards on two receptions.

THE TAKEAWAY

Kentucky: The Wildcats failed on two additional factors, a wide-left 39-yard subject aim try within the first half and an unlawful movement penalty that worn out a possible game-winning TD move within the last minute – and that was the distinction in an in depth recreation. The win snapped an eight-game successful streak that spanned two seasons.

“Clearly, it’s a really tough loss,” Stoops added. “It’s simply heartbreaking for our gamers.”

Mississippi: The Rebels survived a contest improve after blowing via a softer-than-expected September schedule. Ole Miss is 16-3 over two seasons and positioned itself to be the perfect group within the SEC apart from top-ranked Georgia or No. 2 Alabama. The Rebels are 5-0 for the primary time since 2014.

“There’s extra to go, however that is one I’m all the time going to recollect,” Dart mentioned. “Successful this early within the day means we’re all going to have an awesome evening tonight.”

NFL IN THE HOUSE

A complete of 17 NFL personnel representing 12 groups have been credentialed for the sport, primarily to guage Levis, who is taken into account a possible first-round draft alternative.

RODRIGUEZ RETURNS

After lacking September as a result of suspension, Kentucky’s All-SEC working again Chris Rodriguez Jr. returned to the beginning lineup. Rodriguez completed with 72 yards on 19 rushes with a fourth-and-2 conversion run throughout a third-quarter TD drive.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Regardless of a gentle ascent, the No. 14 Rebels trailed 11 different ranked unbeaten groups. Defeating the No. 7 Wildcats boosted Ole Miss’ prospects for a High-10 slot. The Wildcats had a creditable street efficiency and determine to stay ranked regardless of the loss.

UP NEXT

Kentucky: The Wildcats start a two-week house stand with South Carolina on Saturday.

Mississippi: The Rebels go to Vanderbilt on Saturday.

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