Kentucky Defense Shuts Down Ole Miss in Saturday Victory
The Kentucky defense heard it all week. How in the world could the Cats even slow down, let alone stop, the high-tempo, high-scoring offense of sixth-ranked Ole Miss. Through their first four games, the Rebels were averaging 55 points and 670 yards per game, while thrashing their first four opponents.
The Cats heard it, and they did what their head coach Mark Stoops always wants them to do – they went to work. They worked hard in practice and in the film room. And on Saturday, the UK defense, not the Ole Miss offense, turned out to be the story of the game.
Kentucky held Ole Miss to just 17 points and 353 yards, paving the way for a 20-17 upset of the Rebels at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford. The 17 points are the fewest the Rebels have scored in a Southeastern Conference game under current head coach Lane Kiffin.
The win, especially in a defensive-oriented game, was special for UK head coach Mark Stoops.
“It means a lot because we started (the season) tough, we have a brutal schedule,” Stoops told ABC following the game. “And our guys keep on fighting, keep on coming back.”
After holding then-No. 1 Georgia to just 13 points, Stoops believes that his defensive unit has proven that they are among the best defenses in the SEC.
“We took number one (Georgia) down to the wire, that’s no fluke,” Stoops said. “But again, we have so much work to do and we know that. We know who we are.”
The UK defense made play after play on Saturday, and the numbers do tell the story. Ole Miss was just one of 10 on third down conversions. The Rebels entered Saturday’s game averaging more than 200 yards rushing per game, and the Cats held them to just 92 on Saturday. Ole Miss was averaging more than 400 yards per game passing, but were held to 261 on Saturday.
Kentucky forced the game’s only turnover, a fumble that was caused by J.Q. Hardaway and recovered by Noah Matthews when the Rebels were deep in UK territory.
THAT'S OUR BALL, #GoBigBlue pic.twitter.com/4wLe7ijfPW
— Kentucky Football (@UKFootball) September 28, 2024
The UK defense harassed the Rebels all day long. The Cats had four sacks of Heisman Trophy candidate Jaxson Dart, including two by Octavious Oxendine. Kentucky had seven tackles for loss in the game, two pass breakups, a quarterback hurry and that forced fumble.
.@octaviousoxend1 causing problems in the backfield 😤
📺 – @ABCNetwork pic.twitter.com/Xam583AArq
— Kentucky Football (@UKFootball) September 28, 2024
It was a team effort for the Cats on Saturday. Hardaway led the Cats with a career-high 11 tackles, but he was not alone. Jamon Dumas-Johnson had seven tackles, including 1.5 for loss and a half sack. Fellow linebacker D’Eryk Jackson also had seven tackles, including 1.5 for loss. J.J. Weaver had a sack for the Cats, as did Deone Walker.
BIG TIME SACK BY @jjtimeee pic.twitter.com/hcj0avqjNc
— Kentucky Football (@UKFootball) September 28, 2024
In the last three games, Kentucky has now allowed just 36 points. Two of those three games have been against opponents in the top six of the national rankings, and one of those was against the nation’s best offense. Stoops was proud of his players and his coaching staff following Saturday’s win.
“I love these kids and the coaches,” Stoops said. “The coaches did a remarkable job.”
After hearing talk about the Ole Miss offense all week, the Kentucky defense left Saturday’s 20-17 victory as the topic of conversation after an impressive showing against the Rebels.
