Ole Miss Defeats Kentucky in Overtime 42-41

By Adam Brown
Sports Editor
adam.brown@hottytoddy.com

Ole Miss defeated the Kentucky Wildcats 42-41 in overtime in an offensive shootout in the Blue Grass State.

Ole Miss (1-1) picked up its first win under head coach Lane Kiffin in a come from behind fashion. In the first part of overtime, Kentucky took the lead on a touchdown and missed the extra point. Then sophomore Matt Carral found Elijah Moore for a three-yard touchdown pass to win the game.

“Awesome win for our fans and our kids,” Kiffin said. “Crazy game to be down like that and to come back and go to overtime, just a crazy game. It was great to see our guys battle back as we did not play great in some areas.”

In the second half, the Rebels outscored Kentucky 21-14 prior the start of overtime.

Kentucky put pressure on the Ole Miss defense running the ball as they gained over 400 yards.  The Wildcats were led on the ground by quarterback Terry Wilson, who carried the ball 22 times for 147 yards and 3 touchdowns.

“Actually, you’re not going to win many games like that, but we did make some stops,” Kiffin said. “They are a great running team, but we gotta play better than that. We made some stops there in the second half that gave us a chance to win.”

According to Kiffin, the defense was able to make key stops in the second half after being knocked around on both sides of the ball.  

“I don’t think we ran the ball well at all on offense,” Kiffin said. “Luckily, we have some great skill players that bailed us out in the passing game.”

Corral threw for 324 yards with four touchdowns in the win. He also ran the ball 13 times for 51 yards.

Corral connected with six receivers in the game. Most of the attempts going to Jonathan Mingo and Moore. Mingo finished the game with eight receptions for 128 yards and two touchdowns.

“Based off of the plays we were calling in fall camp, we knew that it was going to be explosive,” Mingo said. “Just trying to go out there and get a win and help my team. Just going out there and catching balls, and it was exciting today.”

Mingo is coming off of a great camp according to Kiffin.

“The ball just did not go to him last week [against Florida],” Kiffin said. “With so many balls to Elijah and the coverages, Jonathan stepped up.”

Ole Miss returns home to the Vaught on October 10, as they play host to the Alabama Crimson Tide. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. on ESPN.