No. 20 Ole Miss trailed early, then surged to take a late first half lead but later surrendered the scoreboard advantage — all to come away a 30-23 victor over Kentucky. Saturday’s matchup between the Rebels (2-0, 1-0 SEC) and Wildcats (1-1, 0-1 SEC) essentially played to the status quo with neither team able to completely separate from the other, leading to a rather dramatic contest from start to finish.
The previous four meetings between the two programs had been decided by one score, so naturally, Saturday’s ballgame in Lexington would be a repeat of history but this time with Lane Kiffin’s team coming out on top. Last year, Kentucky played a role in upending Ole Miss’ College Playoff campaign. But revenge was best served sweet for the road Rebels in Austin Simmons’ first start in an SEC game for the red and blue.
Simmons got off to a shaky start, throwing two interceptions in the first quarter. The lefty’s miscues, paired with a missed 51-yard field goal by Lucas Carneiro, allowed Mark Stoops’ Wildcats to jump out to a 10-0 lead.
The pendulum quickly swung in the Rebels’ direction, though. A 55-yard pass from Simmons to Harrison Wallace III on 4th and 1 moved Ole Miss deep into Wildcat territory and ultimately set up the Rebels’ first score of the game. Ole Miss then capitalized on a quick three-and-out by Kentucky and reached the end zone once again, this time to take the lead.
Ole Miss had the momentum, but as has been the case in this rivalry, Kentucky refused to go away. The Rebels closed out the half on a 17-3 run to carry a four-point lead into the intermission.
Efforts by Ole Miss to pull away in the second half were stymied by a resilient Wildcat bunch. After forcing Kentucky to punt on consecutive offensive drives early in the third quarter, a successful field goal by Carneiro put Ole Miss up seven. Earlier in the possession, a Kewan Lacy touchdown was called back due to a holding penalty, preventing the Rebels from taking a double-digit advantage.
Kentucky then led a six-play, 75-yard drive for a score to neutralize the scoreboard. A 44-yard bomb from Zach Calzada to Ja’Mori Maclin was the catalyst for the quick counter. The tie was promptly broken by Ole Miss, which went up seven once again on a Simmons keeper in the waning minutes of the third quarter.
A six-minute drive by Kentucky found the Wildcats deep in Ole Miss territory midway through the fourth quarter. On 4th and 9 at the Rebels’ 20 line, Stoops rolled the dice and elected to leave his offense on the field instead of taking three points. An incomplete pass by Calzada gift-wrapped a golden opportunity for Kiffin’s team to put the nail in the coffin, but Ole Miss initially declined the offer.
An immediate three-and-out not only put the ball back into Kentucky’s hands but also resulted in Simmons hobbling to the sidelines with an apparent ankle injury. By that point in the game, Calzada had also been sidelined after being banged up. The fate of the game for the Wildcats rested in the hands of Cutter Boley.
The freshman benefited from a decent starting field position and a 15-yard penalty called on his opponent on his first snap. A gash run by Picayune native Dante Dowdell moved the chains for the Wildcats and the home team was near the red zone.
Boley and the offense hit a 4th-down situation. Stoops rolled the dice again, but to no avail. Rebel edge rusher Princewill Umanmielen broke past the Wildcat offensive line and took Boley to the ground to end the drive.
Ferris State transfer Trinidad Chambliss, the reigning DII champion quarterback, trotted out onto the field to commandeer the offense for Ole Miss with 4:10 remaining in regulation. Chambliss and his supporting cast methodically moved down the field with little resistance until reaching the red zone.
A holding penalty negated a 13-yard run by Deuce Alexander on 1st down that placed the Rebels within the Kentucky 5-yard line. Three plays later, Ole Miss faced 4th and 11 with 1:14 on the clock. A successful kick by Carneiro extended the Rebels’ lead to 10.
While on the surface, Ole Miss had already cemented a win, the clock had not quite struck 0:00, and Kentucky still had a bit of magic at its disposal. A third-down conversion and a 38-yard gain set up a 39-yard field goal for the Wildcats.
With eight seconds at its disposal, Kentucky’s final prayer hinged on a successful onside kick followed by a miraculous score. Aidan Laros’ onside attempt was recovered by Rebel wideout Cayden Lee, rubber-stamping Ole Miss’ first road win of the 2025 campaign.
Simmons was the leading passer in the contest, completing 13 of 24 attempts in the air for 235 yards and a pair of interceptions. The sophomore had a team-second-best 44 rushing yards and a score on the ground. As for his fourth-quarter injury, where he limped off the field without putting any pressure on his left foot, Kiffin assured that it didn’t appear to be something worth panicking over. Prior to Ole Miss’ last scoring drive, Simmons was spotted walking comfortably on the sidelines.
“He was fine to go back in,” Kiffin told ESPN’s Molly McGrath after the game.
The Rebels’ top target in the air was Wallace, who logged 117 yards on four receptions. Tight end Trace Bruckler had a pair of consequential catches down the stretch and ended the day with 29 yards. Lacy was the top guy on the ground with 138 yards and a touchdown on 28 carries.
Calzada led Kentucky in passing, connecting on 15 of 30 targets for 149 yards. Wildcat running back Seth McGowan was his team’s shining star with 88 yards and two touchdowns. Altogether, Ole Miss outgained Kentucky in both facets of offense. The Rebels had 455 total yards (235 in the air and 220 on the ground), while Kentucky had 354 (187 in the air and 193 on the ground).
Defensively, Ole Miss was led by defensive tackle Zxavian Harris. The Germantown High School alum logged six tackles (four solo), a sack, and a tackle for loss. Umanmielen also stood out in the contest, with a sack and two tackles for loss.
Ty Bryant was a difference maker for Kentucky’s defense early. The defensive back was responsible for snagging both of Simmons’ picks. Linebacker Alex Afari Jr. led the Wildcats in tackles with 10, one of which was for a loss of yards.
Both teams’ placekickers had strong performances on Saturday. Kentucky’s Jacob Kauwe was the most efficient specialist, nailing all three attempts. His longest field goal of the day was from 39 yards out. Carniero made three of four kicks with a long of 43.
Scoring summary
Kentucky took advantage of a short field after Austin Simmons threw his first pick. Seth McGowan got his team on the scoreboard first with a nine-yard rushing touchdown. Pete Golding’s defense held up for the most part after the southpaw’s second interception, only surrendering three points.
Trailing 10-0, Ole Miss was in dire need of points. Back-to-back fruitful drives, one of which was boosted by a gutsy call on 4th down, resulted in two one-yard touchdown runs. Kewan Lacy claimed the first one, and Damien Taylor was credited with the other.
Kentucky rebutted with a slow-moving drive, one that landed Jacob Kauwe in a prime position to cut the deficit to one point with a 31-yard kick. Ole Miss neutralized the Wildcats’ score with three points of its own. Lucas Carneiro, after missing a 51-yard attempt in the first quarter, was money on a 43-yarder to give his squad a 17-13 halftime lead.
Carneiro was called upon again in the second half, after a holding penalty erased a touchdown run by Lacy, and the former C-USA Special Teams Player of the Year connected on a 28-yarder. A strong counterpunch by Kentucky was adequately delivered when McGowan ran into the end zone for an eight-yard touchdown to even out the scoreboard.
An Ole Miss offense that struggled to move the ball efficiently in the first half had no issue moving downfield in the third quarter. An eight-play touchdown drive ending in a Simmons keeper for a touchdown was an effective response to break the stalemate. A late fourth-quarter field goal by Carneiro prevented Kentucky from winning back-to-back battles against its SEC foe.
Next up
Ole Miss will travel back to welcome Arkansas (2-0) on Sept. 13 at 6 or 6:45 p.m. CT. The game will be aired on ESPN or the SEC Network, along with participating SuperTalk Mississippi stations.
