In a 42-41 overtime win, Kiffin picked up his first win at Ole Miss and the Rebels grabbed their first win of the season against the Kentucky Wildcats.
Kiffin summed up Saturday’s game in his end-of-game press conference.
“At the end of the day, you just have to score more than they do,” Kiffin said.
This game was different from last weekend’s game against Florida. While Florida took advantage of Ole Miss’s weak secondary passing for six touchdowns, Kentucky stuck to their’ bread and butter in the running game.
Although the Rebels collected a win, it showed that the defense not only struggles to stop passes, but also runs. Kentucky rushed for 408 yards with three players rushing for over 100 yards. Kentucky averaged 7.3 yards per carry as they continued to pick up first down after first down.
However, the Rebel defense did show a lot of life. When the game was tied, MoMo Sanogo sacked Kentucky quarterback Terry Wilson for a 12-yard loss on fourth down in the fourth quarter.
After the game, Sanogo had a mixed reaction to his performance.
“It was a great call from Coach (Kiffin), and I just knew I had to get there. I had to push harder, and I got there,” Sanogo said. “I’m not playing to my personal standard right now, but I’ll get there. I’m going to keep pushing.”
Matt Corral followed up his week-one performance by executing the same strategies against the Wildcats. He passed for less yards —320 compared to 395— but he threw four touchdowns, which is a new career best for him. Unlike last week, Corral did not throw any interceptions.
John Rhys Plumlee saw limited play time again, rushing for 16 yards on five carries and not attempting to pass. However, Plumlee did convert a key first down after being put in during overtime.
For receiving, Corral heavily relied on Elijah Moore, who saw 10 targets today. While Moore led in receptions with ten, Jonathan Mingo led in yards and TDs with 128 yards, and two TDs. Tight end Kenny Yeboah caught his second TD of the year and had 83 yards on only three catches.
The team only rushed for 139 yards collectively, but Snoop Conner and Jerrion Ealy did put up rushing TDs.
“Obviously, we want to run the ball well. We got to also do what they are giving us. This is a cover three team, the box is loaded all the time, so it’s hard to run,” Kiffin said after the game.
This game came down to one key mistake: after the Rebels allowed a Kentucky touchdown in overtime, Kentucky’s kicker missed the extra point. This opened the door for the Rebels to win the game, which they did on the drive from a pass to Moore. This was his only touchdown of the day.
Kiffin and the Rebels will return to Oxford in preparation to take on the Crimson Tide in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Oct. 10 at 5 p.m.
