Kentucky shocks Ole Miss and Lane Kiffin, causing panic among the Rebels

Using everything they learned from their narrow loss to Georgia two weeks ago, the Kentucky Wildcats shocked the college football world by defeating sixth-ranked Ole Miss on Saturday afternoon in Oxford.

For all the talk about the Rebels heading toward the national championship this season, a performance like this will keep them from reaching the College Football Playoff. On a day where Kentucky's Brock Vandergriff had a more impressive day than Jaxson Dart, Kentucky found a way to win.

This Ole Miss squad struggled to get anything going on offense all afternoon, and Ole Miss had a chance to tie the game on 4th-and-7 with 53 seconds left.

A huge win by Kentucky will upset Ole Miss and eliminate a game that fans were surely waiting for as they headed into the playoffs. Now people should ask themselves whether the rebels have enough to prevent further losses like this.

This was a massive failure by the Rebels, while Kentucky's defense has shown that it can cause problems on that side of the ball.

“It means a lot to us, our guys just keep fighting. We beat number one (Georgia) until the end. I love these kids and this group,” Mark Stoops said after the game.

This was Kentucky's largest road win since 1977 and it came against an Ole Miss team destined for the College Football Playoff.

OXFORD, Miss. – Head coach Mark Stoops of the Kentucky Wildcats before the game against the Mississippi Rebels at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on September 28, 2024. (Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images)

Where do Ole Miss and Lane Kiffin go after the loss?

I have no idea where this Lane Kiffin-led squad will go from here, but a trip to South Carolina followed by another road game against LSU won't be easy. It was preached throughout the offseason that the Rebels had bought themselves a squad that could compete for a national championship, but Kentucky proved that a tenacious defense could shatter those expectations.

We almost got a shocking upset between Miami and Virginia Tech on Friday night, but it turns out we only had to wait 24 hours for a shocking win.

OXFORD, Miss. – Trey Amos #9 of the Mississippi Rebels reacts during the first half against the Kentucky Wildcats at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on September 28, 2024. (Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images)

This one won't go over well with the Ole Miss faithful, nor should it. They hoped this team would be solid on offense, which would give them a chance to play for an SEC Championship heading into the playoffs.

If they launch this product in the next two weeks, they could be looking at at least one more defeat at this stage. It's not like their schedule will be any easier with a game against Georgia on the schedule.

So if Ole Miss wants to contend for the College Football Playoff, it had better find a way to avoid another loss like this before the Bulldogs come to town. Because a three-loss Ole Miss team isn't going to make the playoffs with performances like the ones we just saw.

Just when we thought we had seen some of the craziest surprises to begin the 2024 season, Kentucky came to Oxford and sent Ole Miss into a panic.

Just another college football weekend.