Cats Drop Heartbreaker to Rebels
Ole Miss quarterback Jordan Ta’amu connected with wide receiver D.K. Metcalf on a seven-yard touchdown pass with five seconds remaining in the game, lifting Ole Miss to a 37-34 win over Kentucky on Saturday night at Kroger Field.
Kentucky (6-3, 3-3 SEC) had rallied to take a 34-30 lead with 2:14 remaining on a Benny Snell, Jr. touchdown run, but the Rebels executed the two-minute drill to perfection at the end of the game. Ole Miss went 71 yards in 14 plays behind 8-of-11 passing from Ta’amu, who also rushed for 10 yards on the drive.
Ta’amu was 31-of-40 through the air for 382 yards and four touchdowns in the game. Metcalf caught two of those touchdown passes in the game for Ole Miss (4-5, 2-4).
The Wildcats got a huge effort from Snell who rushed 28 times for 176 yards and three touchdowns in the game. Quarterback Stephen Johnson was 19-of-24 passing for 204 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed 11 times for 22 yards.
Kentucky took the lead on its first possession when senior Austin MacGinnis connected on a 35-yard field goal to give the Wildcats a 3-0 lead. Kentucky had early success running the ball on the drive, but the offense stalled once reaching the Ole Miss red zone.
The Rebels answered on their next drive, going 75 yards in 10 plays, ending with a 13-yard pass from Ta’amu to A.J. Brown. The PAT by Gary Wunderlich was good, giving Ole Miss a 7-3 advantage with 5:35 left in the first period.
Kentucky took its next possession into Ole Miss territory before Ole Miss was able to contain the Wildcats inside the red zone once again. MacGinnis came on to hit another field goal, this one from 34 yards out, to cut the Ole Miss lead to 7-6 early in the second quarter.
Ole Miss wasted no time on its next drive, but the Wildcats’ defense stood tall, forcing a Wunderlich field goal from 33 yards out. The kick was good, giving the Rebels a 10-6 lead with 12:45 left in the half.
Kentucky used a trick play to its advantage on its next possession. Johnson threw a lateral to Lynn Bowden who then passed the ball back to Johnson for a 32-yard gain to the Ole Miss three yard line. Two plays later, Snell scored from two yards out and when MacGinnis hit the PAT, the Wildcats claimed a 13-10 lead with 8:09 left in the first half.
The lead didn’t last long, as Ole Miss stormed down the field, covering 69 yards in six plays and just 1:44 on the clock. The scoring play was a 20-yard pass from Ta’amu to Van Jefferson, giving the Rebels a 17-13 lead with 6:18 left in the half.
On the last drive of the half, Kentucky marched down the field once again, led by Snell and Johnson. With under a minute to go in the half, Johnson hit freshman Isaiah Epps on a gorgeous 28-yard pass to get the ball to the Ole Miss one yard line with 16 seconds left in the half. Snell scored on the next play, and MacGinnis nailed the PAT to give the Cats a 20-17 lead, which would be the halftime score.
Kentucky took the second half kickoff and added to its lead almost immediately. The Wildcats covered 80 yards in just five plays, culminating with a 46-yard touchdown pass from Johnson to tight end C.J. Conrad, giving the Cats a 27-17 lead.
After the teams traded punts, Ole Miss drove into the Kentucky red zone. But Kentucky was able to halt Ole Miss’ progress and the Rebels had to settle for a 38-yard field goal by Wunderlich, which cut the UK lead to 27-20 with 3:43 left in the third period.
Kentucky then went three-and-out and punted the ball back to the Rebels. Ole Miss again coverted quickly, covering 76 yards on just three plays, ending with a 58-yard touchdown pass from Ta’amu to Metcalf. The PAT was good, and the game was tied 27-27 with 1:59 left in the third quarter.
The Wildcats went three-and-out again on their next possession before punting. Brown had a nice 19-yard return to give the Rebels the ball at the UK 38 just before the end of the third quarter. But the Kentucky defense came up huge on a third-and-one from the UK 29, forcing another Wunderlich field goal. This time, he connected from 49 yards, giving Ole Miss a 30-27 lead with 14:16 remaining in the game.
Kentucky would mount its best drive of the game late in the fourth quarter. The Wildcats marched 95 yards in 12 plays, a drive that lasted 6:22 and that ended with a one-yard Snell touchdown, giving UK a 34-30 lead with 2:14 to go.
The Wildcats return to action next Saturday, visiting Nashville to take on Vanderbilt in an SEC Eastern Division clash. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. ET and the game can be seen on the SEC Network.
