Kentucky Comes Up Short Against No. 20/14 Ole Miss
Seth McGowan rushed 15 times for 93 yards and two touchdowns, but Kentucky fell to No. 20/14 Ole Miss 30-23 on Saturday at Kroger Field.
Zach Calzada was 15 of 30 through the air for 149 yards before leaving the game with an injury in the fourth quarter. Kendrick Law caught six passes for 44 yards, while Ja’Mori Maclin caught two passes for 56 yards.
Linebacker Alex Afari and safety Ty Bryant each had 10 tackles to lead Kentucky. Bryant added two interceptions in the game.
Ole Miss had the first possession of the game and, after making one first down, the Rebels were forced to punt. Kentucky took over at its own 35 yard line.
The Cats were unable to do anything with the possession and punted it back to the Rebels. Ole Miss took over at its own 36 with 11:26 still remaining in the first quarter.
Ole Miss was able to gain some traction on its next drive. The Rebels drove into UK territory but the drive stalled and a 51-yard field goal attempt by Lucas Carnerio hit the left upright and landed in the end zone, and the game remained scoreless.
Kentucky went three-and-out and punted it back to Ole Miss, which started its drive from its own 18 yards line. The Rebels would get one first down, but, on the fourth play of the drive, Bryant intercepted an Austin Simmons pass and returned it to the Ole Miss 31 yard line.
The Cats would get a pair of first downs and would get inside the Ole Miss 10 yard line. On second and goal, UK running back McGowan rushed up the middle for a nine-yard touchdown, giving the Cats the first points of the game. Jacob Kauwe added the PAT and UK led 7-0 with 1:55 left in the first quarter.
On the ensuing possession, Bryant again intercepted Simmons and returned it to the Ole Miss 32. On the first play of the drive, the Rebels were flagged for a facemask and the Cats were in the red zone. The first quarter would end with UK leading 7-0.
The UK drive would stall and Kauwe would make a 33-yard field goal to give Kentucky a 10-0 lead with 14:17 left in the first half.
Ole Miss would respond on its next drive. The Rebels covered 75 yards in just six plays, culminating with a one-yard touchdown run from Kewan Lacy. Carnerio added the point after and UK’s lead was cut to 10-7 with 12:25 left in the half.
After a Kentucky three-and-out, Ole Miss took over at its own 30 yard line and the Rebels marched down the field to take their first lead of the game. The eight-play, 70-yard drive ended with a Damien Taylor one-yard touchdown run. Carnerio added the PAT and Ole Miss led 14-10 with 8:24 left in the half.
Kentucky would respond on the ensuing drive. The Cats drove into the red zone but the drive stalled. Kauwe would convert a 31-yard field goal and Ole Miss led 14-13 with 4:31 left in the half.
The Rebels would add a field goal and took a 17-13 lead into the half.
The first three drives of the third quarter ended in punts. Ole Miss broke that streak on the fourth drive of the half, their second, when Carnerio made a 28-yard field goal to give the Rebels a 20-13 lead with 8:48 to play in the third quarter.
Kentucky responded with a drive that tied the game. The Cats drove 75 yards in just six plays, with a Calzada completion to Ja’Mori Maclin covering 44 of those yards. McGowan would score on a nine-yard touchdown run around the left end. Kauwe added the PAT and the game was tied 20-20 with 5:38 left in the third quarter.
Ole Miss answered right back with a scoring drive. The Rebels went 75 yards in eight plays, culminating with a seven-yard touchdown run by Simmons. Carnerio added the extra points and Ole Miss led 27-20 with 2:20 left in the third quarter.
The Cats would punt on their next possession and Ole Miss took over at its own 18 near the end of the third quarter, which would end with the Rebels leading 27-20.
Early in the fourth quarter, Ole Miss was forced to punt and UK took over at its own 36 with 14:13 left in the game.
Kentucky would drive into the red zone on the next drive, but the Cats came up empty and Ole Miss took over, but the Rebels were forced to punt.
On UK’s next drive, sophomore Cutter Boley took over at quarterback for an injured Calzada. The Cats quickly got into Ole Miss territory. However, Kentucky would turn the ball over on downs for the second consecutive drive and Ole Miss took over with 4:11 to play.
The teams each added late field goals to provide the final margin of victory.
Kentucky returns to action next Saturday, hosting Eastern Michigan at Kroger Field. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET and the game can be seen on ESPNU.
