Driving for a possible go-ahead touchdown or game-tying field goal, Kentucky star quarterback Will Levis lost two fumbles late in the fourth quarter that helped No. 14 Ole Miss hold on for a 22-19 win over the No. 7 Wildcats.
Facing third-and-2 at the Ole Miss 19-yard line, Levis faked a handoff to running back Chris Rodriguez and kept the ball with 2:55 remaining. He appeared to gain enough yardage for the first down, but had the ball pop loose as he was being tackled in the air.
Kentucky regained possession for one final drive and drove to the Ole Miss 7-yard line before an illegal formation penalty negated what looked like a go-ahead touchdown pass from Levis to Dane Key. On the next play, Levis fumbled again while being hit in the backfield.
The loss was Kentucky’s first of the 2022 season, dropping the Wildcats to 4-1 on the season and 1-1 in SEC play.
Ole Miss looked on the verge of turning the game into a blowout after jumping out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, but UK freshman wide receiver Barion Brown finally gave the Wildcats some life with an 85-yard kickoff return with less than a minute left in the quarter.
Two plays later, Rodriguez scored his first touchdown of the season on a 10-yard carry. UK kicker Matt Ruffolo, who had missed a 39-yard field goal attempt earlier in the quarter, had his extra-point attempt blocked after the touchdown.
A Kentucky safety on which Levis was flagged for intentional grounding while being hit in the end zone put Ole Miss up 16-6 in the second quarter. Ole Miss then stretched its lead to 19-6 with a 53-yard field goal attempt later in the quarter.
UK finally found some offensive momentum on the ensuing drive. Levis capped that nine-play, 70-yard drive with 5-yard touchdown on a shovel pass to Tayvion Robinson, but Kentucky failed on the point-after attempt again, this time because of a poor snap.
Kentucky tied the game at 19 with a 17-yard touchdown pass from Levis to tight end Jordan Dingle on its second drive of the third quarter. With backup long snapper Clay Perry inserted into the lineup, Kentucky converted its first point-after attempt in the game.
Ole Miss regained the lead four minutes later with a 26-yard field goal.
After Kentucky failed to convert a fourth-and-3 play at the Ole Miss 32-yard line on the first play of the fourth quarter, redshirt freshman safety Jordan Lovett kept the Wildcats’ hopes alive with a pass breakup in the end zone on an Ole Miss fourth-down attempt at the Kentucky 5-yard line on the following drive.
Kentucky drove to the Ole Miss 19-yard line to set up the play where Levis fumbled.
Player of the Game
Ole Miss running back Quinshon Judkins totaled 106 rushing yards and one touchdown on 15 carries. The Rebels totaled 191 rushing yards as a team.
Turning point
Kentucky had a chance for some early momentum when Ruffolo missed a 39-yard field goal attempt on the Wildcats second drive in the first quarter. Already trailing 7-0 at the time, the miss turned the momentum fully in the Rebels’ favor, forcing Kentucky to play catch-up for the rest of the afternoon. The miss brought up memories of the 2020 meeting between the two teams when Ruffolo missed an extra-point in overtime that paved the way for an Ole Miss win in Lexington.
Key stat
Kentucky left at least five points on the board due to special teams miscues. Ruffolo missed the field goal and had an extra point block. He did not get a chance at another extra-point attempt due to a bad snap. Brown also looked on the verge of returning a kickoff for a touchdown in the second half but was tripped up by his own teammate. The second-quarter safety was setup when Robinson elected not to field a punt that bounced to the UK 1-yard line.
