Kentucky’s Last-Second FG: The Cover Nobody Asked For

Ole Miss fans should’ve left Kroger Field celebrating a hard-fought SEC road win. Instead, anyone holding a betting slip was either popping champagne or throwing it across the room after Kentucky pulled one of the strangest late-game moves in recent memory: a field goal with 10 seconds left to cut the score to 30–23.

Rebels Get Their Revenge

No. 20 Ole Miss (2–0) avenged last year’s 20–17 home loss to Kentucky by doing what Lane Kiffin teams do best—piling up yards and explosive plays.

• Kewan Lacy: 138 rushing yards and a touchdown, carrying the load and chewing clock.
• Austin Simmons: 235 passing yards, overcoming two early interceptions that had the Rebels in a 10–0 hole.
• Harrison Wallace III: 117 receiving yards, including a 55-yard bomb that flipped the game’s momentum.

Ole Miss finished with 457 yards of offense and four plays of 20+ yards. They’re averaging 575 yards per game through two weeks. That’s PlayStation numbers.

Kentucky Fights, But…

The Wildcats (1–1, 0–1 SEC) extended their losing streak in league play to eight games. Zach Calzada threw for 149 yards before leaving with a shoulder injury, while Seth McGowan provided the punch with 88 yards and two touchdowns.

Defensive back Ty Bryant was a first-half star, snagging two interceptions in back-to-back possessions that Kentucky turned into touchdowns. The Wildcats led early, but Ole Miss’ offense eventually wore them down.

Then Came the Kick

Down 10 points with seconds left, Kentucky lined up for a field goal. Not a Hail Mary, not a desperate end-zone shot, a field goal. The snap, the hold, the kick—good. Final score: 30–23.

On the field, it meant nothing. For bettors, it meant everything. Kentucky was a 9.5-point underdog. That kick? The ultimate backdoor cover.

• Ole Miss -9.5 bettors: “We hate this team forever.”
• Kentucky +9.5 bettors: “Mark Stoops is a genius.”
• Everyone else: “Wait… why are they kicking?”

The Bigger Picture

For Ole Miss, it’s a résumé win and proof this offense can travel. Lane Kiffin’s crew is 2–0, averaging over 1,100 yards across their first two games, and set to keep climbing in the polls.

For Kentucky, the effort was there, the execution wasn’t. Eight straight SEC losses is a nasty stat, but Stoops praised the fight of his team: “I like the way they fight and scrap. They’ll improve.” Maybe so. But in the meantime, the Wildcats will be remembered for kicking a field goal that mattered only in Vegas.

Up Next

• Ole Miss: Hosts Arkansas next Saturday.
• Kentucky: Hosts Eastern Michigan in a game that’s unlikely to cause quite as much chaos—unless Stoops lines up another last-second field goal for the spread.