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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Saturday, September 28
Oxford, Miss.
11 AM
Ole Miss
4-1 , 0-1
17
vs
20
Kentucky
3-2 , 1-2
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
Kentucky
3
7
3
7
20
Ole Miss
7
0
10
0
17
Football Drops SEC Opener vs. Kentucky, 20-17
9/28/2024 | Football
OXFORD, Miss. – The No. 5 Ole Miss football team could never find its rhythm offensively in its Southeastern Conference opener against Kentucky, falling 20-17.
It was a defensive battle throughout, and the slow game pace favored Kentucky, as the visitors dominated time of possession 39:43 to 20:17, and the Wildcats were able to execute late offensively, scoring on a fumble recovery in the end zone to tip the scales. Ole Miss had just 55 total yards and one first down in the fourth quarter of the defeat, falling to 4-1 (0-1) on the year. Rebel fans set a new attendance record with 67,616 at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
Ole Miss narrowly outgained Kentucky, 353-336. Penalties once again hurt the Rebels, who were flagged eight times for 53 yards, all in the first half. Jaxson Dart was sacked four times, while Ole Miss notched five sacks on the day.
Offensive Leaders
Dart finished 18-for-27 passing with 261 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions, adding 22 yards on the ground. Henry Parrish Jr. tallied 62 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries. Tre Harris had a phenomenal day individually, hauling in 11 catches for 176 yards and a touchdown.
Defensive Leaders
TJ Dottery logged a team-high 10 tackles and added three QB hurries. Suntarine Perkins was outstanding as well with six tackles and a pair of sacks. It was also another big outing from Princely Umanmielen, who had three tackles for loss, including 1.5 sacks. Trey Amos led the Rebel secondary with three pass breakups, while Trey Washington had one breakup, a forced fumble and seven tackles. Walter Nolen led the Rebel D-line with seven tackles, including one for a loss.
First Quarter
As usual, it didn't take Ole Miss long to find the end zone—though Lane Kiffin's squad never did find its rhythm after the opening series. The Rebels went seven or more yards on each play leading to the opening-drive touchdown, including 12- and 39-yard connections between Jaxson Dart and Tre Harris, the latter bringing Ole Miss down to the 1-yard line. Parrish finished the job on the only short play of the drive: a 1-yard score to make it a 7-0 game.
Kentucky responded with a strong drive, but the Rebels locked down in the red zone, as a key stop by Walter Nolen and spectacular end zone coverage by Trey Amos halted the Wildcats short, forcing them to settle for a 27-yard Alex Raynor field goal.
The teams then traded three-and-outs with Octavious Oxendine sacking Dart on third down to stop the Rebel drive and Chris Paul Jr. and Princely Umanmielen teaming up to sack Brock Vandagriff on third down on the other end.
Second Quarter
A penalty set Ole Miss behind the chains, and a third-and-long sack taken by Dart led to a punt to open the second frame. Fraser Masin pinned the Wildcats inside the 10-yard line, but a third-down pass interference against Jadon Canady helped them get some field position back before punting it away.
The teams traded punts once more before Kentucky mounted a late scoring drive. A critical pass interference call against Amos moved the chains on a 3rd-and-10, then a holding call against the Rebel corner prolonged the drive again on 3rd-and-goal, ultimately leading to a Vandagriff touchdown toss to Dane Key to make it 10-7 at the break.
Kentucky outgained Ole Miss 161-129 in the first half. The Rebels were penalized eight times for 53 yards in the first half. Dart was 7-for-11 with 97 yards passing and 24 rushing at the break. Harris had four catches for 66 yards, while Key led all receivers with 69 yards on six receptions.
Kentucky possessed the ball for 21:40 of the first half, while Ole Miss had it just 8:20.
Third Quarter
Momentum immediately swung Ole Miss' way in the second half as the defense notched a three-and-out, punctuated by another Umanmielen sack of Vandagriff. The Rebels used a couple of long Parrish runs to drive into the red zone, where the Kentucky defense held to force a 31-yard Caden Davis field goal to tie it at 10.
Kentucky responded with a field goal drive of its own thanks to a pair of long Vandagriff-to-Key connections, leading to a 48-yard Raynor connection.
The first turnover of the game came on the following drive as Harris was hit after a catch and coughed up the football. The Rebel defense made sure it didn't matter, though, as Suntarine Perkins sacked Vandagriff to force a punt.
Finally, the Rebel offense broke through with an explosive touchdown on the ensuing drive. Facing 4th-and-7, Dart endured a blitz and delivered a strike to Harris, who did the rest, slicing through the Kentucky secondary after the catch for a 48-yard touchdown and a 17-13 Rebel lead.
Fourth Quarter
An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against Barion Brown plagued the first drive of the final quarter for Kentucky, but the Wildcat defense stopped the Rebel offense two yards short of a first down in response.
Looking to take the lead, the Wildcats drove just shy of midfield, but a pair of young stars on the Rebel defense stepped up. Jamarious Brown notched a key second-down deflection, then Perkins came through with another huge sack to force a punt and send it back to the Rebels with 6:41 to go.
The Kentucky defense once again held Ole Miss just two yards shy of the sticks, giving its offense another chance. It looked like the Rebels had a quick stop, but the Wildcats rolled the dice on a 4th-and-7 deep in their own territory, and Vandagriff hit a 63-yard gain to Brown. It looked again like Ole Miss would escape danger when Trey Washington jarred the ball loose on a Gavin Wimsatt run, but UK's Josh Kattus recovered the fumble in the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown.
Ole Miss was faced with a 4th-and-11 when Dart escaped pressure and found Caden Prieskorn for a 42-yard gain to keep the game alive. However, Davis couldn't connect on a 48-yard field goal to tie it in the final minute.
Next Up
Ole Miss will look to rebound in its SEC road opener next week at South Carolina. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. CT on ESPN from Columbia.
Stay Connected
Stay up to date with all the latest Ole Miss football news and content! Subscribe to The Sip, the official newsletter of Rebel football, and we'll drop the best Ole Miss football stories, videos and social media content to your inbox each week.
Update today to the all-new version of the Ole Miss Sports app, presented by Renasant Bank! The new app will serve as a dynamic hub for Rebel gameday content, including ticketing, parking, schedules, shopping for official Ole Miss merchandise and much more. Click here for more info or to download.
It was a defensive battle throughout, and the slow game pace favored Kentucky, as the visitors dominated time of possession 39:43 to 20:17, and the Wildcats were able to execute late offensively, scoring on a fumble recovery in the end zone to tip the scales. Ole Miss had just 55 total yards and one first down in the fourth quarter of the defeat, falling to 4-1 (0-1) on the year. Rebel fans set a new attendance record with 67,616 at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
Ole Miss narrowly outgained Kentucky, 353-336. Penalties once again hurt the Rebels, who were flagged eight times for 53 yards, all in the first half. Jaxson Dart was sacked four times, while Ole Miss notched five sacks on the day.
Offensive Leaders
Dart finished 18-for-27 passing with 261 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions, adding 22 yards on the ground. Henry Parrish Jr. tallied 62 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries. Tre Harris had a phenomenal day individually, hauling in 11 catches for 176 yards and a touchdown.
Defensive Leaders
TJ Dottery logged a team-high 10 tackles and added three QB hurries. Suntarine Perkins was outstanding as well with six tackles and a pair of sacks. It was also another big outing from Princely Umanmielen, who had three tackles for loss, including 1.5 sacks. Trey Amos led the Rebel secondary with three pass breakups, while Trey Washington had one breakup, a forced fumble and seven tackles. Walter Nolen led the Rebel D-line with seven tackles, including one for a loss.
First Quarter
As usual, it didn't take Ole Miss long to find the end zone—though Lane Kiffin's squad never did find its rhythm after the opening series. The Rebels went seven or more yards on each play leading to the opening-drive touchdown, including 12- and 39-yard connections between Jaxson Dart and Tre Harris, the latter bringing Ole Miss down to the 1-yard line. Parrish finished the job on the only short play of the drive: a 1-yard score to make it a 7-0 game.
Kentucky responded with a strong drive, but the Rebels locked down in the red zone, as a key stop by Walter Nolen and spectacular end zone coverage by Trey Amos halted the Wildcats short, forcing them to settle for a 27-yard Alex Raynor field goal.
The teams then traded three-and-outs with Octavious Oxendine sacking Dart on third down to stop the Rebel drive and Chris Paul Jr. and Princely Umanmielen teaming up to sack Brock Vandagriff on third down on the other end.
Second Quarter
A penalty set Ole Miss behind the chains, and a third-and-long sack taken by Dart led to a punt to open the second frame. Fraser Masin pinned the Wildcats inside the 10-yard line, but a third-down pass interference against Jadon Canady helped them get some field position back before punting it away.
The teams traded punts once more before Kentucky mounted a late scoring drive. A critical pass interference call against Amos moved the chains on a 3rd-and-10, then a holding call against the Rebel corner prolonged the drive again on 3rd-and-goal, ultimately leading to a Vandagriff touchdown toss to Dane Key to make it 10-7 at the break.
Kentucky outgained Ole Miss 161-129 in the first half. The Rebels were penalized eight times for 53 yards in the first half. Dart was 7-for-11 with 97 yards passing and 24 rushing at the break. Harris had four catches for 66 yards, while Key led all receivers with 69 yards on six receptions.
Kentucky possessed the ball for 21:40 of the first half, while Ole Miss had it just 8:20.
Third Quarter
Momentum immediately swung Ole Miss' way in the second half as the defense notched a three-and-out, punctuated by another Umanmielen sack of Vandagriff. The Rebels used a couple of long Parrish runs to drive into the red zone, where the Kentucky defense held to force a 31-yard Caden Davis field goal to tie it at 10.
Kentucky responded with a field goal drive of its own thanks to a pair of long Vandagriff-to-Key connections, leading to a 48-yard Raynor connection.
The first turnover of the game came on the following drive as Harris was hit after a catch and coughed up the football. The Rebel defense made sure it didn't matter, though, as Suntarine Perkins sacked Vandagriff to force a punt.
Finally, the Rebel offense broke through with an explosive touchdown on the ensuing drive. Facing 4th-and-7, Dart endured a blitz and delivered a strike to Harris, who did the rest, slicing through the Kentucky secondary after the catch for a 48-yard touchdown and a 17-13 Rebel lead.
Fourth Quarter
An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against Barion Brown plagued the first drive of the final quarter for Kentucky, but the Wildcat defense stopped the Rebel offense two yards short of a first down in response.
Looking to take the lead, the Wildcats drove just shy of midfield, but a pair of young stars on the Rebel defense stepped up. Jamarious Brown notched a key second-down deflection, then Perkins came through with another huge sack to force a punt and send it back to the Rebels with 6:41 to go.
The Kentucky defense once again held Ole Miss just two yards shy of the sticks, giving its offense another chance. It looked like the Rebels had a quick stop, but the Wildcats rolled the dice on a 4th-and-7 deep in their own territory, and Vandagriff hit a 63-yard gain to Brown. It looked again like Ole Miss would escape danger when Trey Washington jarred the ball loose on a Gavin Wimsatt run, but UK's Josh Kattus recovered the fumble in the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown.
Ole Miss was faced with a 4th-and-11 when Dart escaped pressure and found Caden Prieskorn for a 42-yard gain to keep the game alive. However, Davis couldn't connect on a 48-yard field goal to tie it in the final minute.
Next Up
Ole Miss will look to rebound in its SEC road opener next week at South Carolina. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. CT on ESPN from Columbia.
Stay Connected
Stay up to date with all the latest Ole Miss football news and content! Subscribe to The Sip, the official newsletter of Rebel football, and we'll drop the best Ole Miss football stories, videos and social media content to your inbox each week.
Update today to the all-new version of the Ole Miss Sports app, presented by Renasant Bank! The new app will serve as a dynamic hub for Rebel gameday content, including ticketing, parking, schedules, shopping for official Ole Miss merchandise and much more. Click here for more info or to download.
Team Stats
KEN
OLE
Total Yards
336
353
Pass Yards
243
261
Rushing Yards
93
92
Penalty Yards
30
53
1st Downs
22
14
3rd Downs
4
1
4th Downs
3
2
TOP
39:43
20:17
1st Quarter
KEN 0, OLE 7
OLE - Parrish Jr.,Henry 1 yd run (Davis,Caden kick), 6 plays, 83 yards, TOP 02:05
KEN 3, OLE 7
KEN - Raynor,Alex 27 yd field goal 15 plays, 66 yards, TOP 07:38
2nd Quarter
KEN 10, OLE 7
KEN - Key,Dane 5 yd pass from Vandagriff,Brock (Raynor,Alex kick) 13 plays, 81 yards, TOP 05:45
3rd Quarter
KEN 10, OLE 10
OLE - Davis,Caden 31 yd field goal 10 plays, 51 yards, TOP 03:08
KEN 13, OLE 10
KEN - Raynor,Alex 48 yd field goal 6 plays, 45 yards, TOP 03:13
KEN 13, OLE 17
OLE - Harris,Tre 48 yd pass from Dart,Jaxson (Davis,Caden kick) 6 plays, 61 yards, TOP 02:01
4th Quarter
KEN 20, OLE 17
KEN - Kattus,Josh 2 yd run (Raynor,Alex kick), 6 plays, 83 yards, TOP 02:23
Game Leaders
Passing Leaders
CMP
18
TD
1
YDS
261
INT
0
Players Mentioned
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WR
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P
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RB
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LB
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TE
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DE
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S
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