No. 6 Ole Miss was upset by Kentucky 20-17 in its SEC opener after missing the game-winning field goal

No. 6 Ole Miss opened SEC play with a surprise loss to Kentucky, 20-17, on Saturday in Oxford. The Rebels went 4-0 in the SEC opener but didn't face much competition in the first four games.

Caden Davis missed a 48-yard field goal with 48 seconds left that would have tied the score. Ole Miss gained 44 yards in eight plays, but stalled at the Kentucky 31-yard line before lining up for the final kick.

The Wildcats scored the go-ahead touchdown when Josh Kattus recovered a Gavin Wimsatt fumble in the end zone with 2:25 left in the fourth quarter. That ended a six-play, 83-yard drive highlighted by Brock Vandagriff combining with Barion Brown for a 63-yard play on 4th-and-7 from the Kentucky 20-yard line.

Vandagriff completed 18 of 28 passes for 243 yards with one touchdown for Kentucky. Dane Key had eight catches for 105 yards and a score, while Demie Sumo-Karngbaye rushed for 47 yards on 11 carries.

Ole Miss took a 17-13 lead at the end of the third quarter with a 48-yard touchdown pass from Jaxson Dart to Tre Harris. On fourth-and-seven, senior receiver Dart hit Harris and outran three Kentucky defenders for the score.

Harris caught 11 passes for 176 yards and a touchdown. Dart passed for 261 yards and completed 18 of 27 passes. Henry Parrish Jr. led the Rebels in rushing with 62 yards and a score on 13 carries.

Meanwhile, Kentucky has endured a confusing season since head coach Mark Stoops reportedly almost transferred to Texas A&M last November. After a 31-6 loss to South Carolina, the Wildcats turned around and nearly upset then-No. 1 Georgia, defeated 13-12. This time they beat their higher-ranked conference opponent – ​​away from home.

Ole Miss travels to Columbia to take on the Gamecocks (3-1) next Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET. Kentucky takes a week off before hosting Vanderbilt (2-2) on Oct. 12.