OXFORD – Ole Miss football coach Lane Kiffin expressed frustration following the team’s 20-17 loss to Kentucky at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. The defeat was particularly difficult to process due to the early 11 a.m. kickoff. “It’s 3 o’clock, so you’ve got all day to sit around and deal with this,” Kiffin noted, highlighting the missed opportunities and plays that could have led to a different outcome.
The matchup drew a record crowd of 67,616 for homecoming, but the atmosphere soured as Ole Miss (4-1, 0-1 SEC) struggled across all three phases of the game against Kentucky (3-2, 1-2). This was a stark contrast to their previous performances, where they had dominated opponents.
Kiffin pointed out that each unit had chances to secure a win, saying, “All three phases had chances to win the game, or at least tie the game, and didn’t do it.” He acknowledged Kentucky’s strong performance while expressing disappointment in his team’s execution.
The turning point came late in the game with 48 seconds remaining when senior kicker Caden Davis missed a potential game-tying field goal attempt. The Ole Miss offense, which had averaged 582 yards per game, could only muster 353 yards against Kentucky. They particularly struggled on third downs, converting just one out of ten attempts.
Quarterback Jaxson Dart acknowledged the difficulties, explaining, “We got caught in too many ‘third-and-longs,’ and we play in the SEC and that’s really hard to convert.”
Although the Rebels’ defense managed to sack Kentucky quarterback Brock Vandagriff five times, they ultimately failed to contain critical plays. A significant fourth-and-7 play late in the game saw the Wildcats complete a 63-yard pass to set up a game-tying touchdown.
Safety Trey Washington emphasized the need for improvement, saying, “We just have to get better overall as a team.” Kiffin concluded that the simultaneous underperformance across the board made it impossible for the Rebels to achieve victory.