Kentucky stunned No. 6 Ole Miss on the road Saturday, defeating the Rebels 20-17 thanks to a tremendous defensive effort, a ball-control offense and an aerial attack that was enough to give the Wildcats their first win in Oxford since 1978.

The Wildcats, who had the ball for nearly 40 minutes, found themselves trailing 17-13 from their own 20-yard line with 3:51 left. However, quarterback Brock Vandagriff found Barion Brown for a 63-yard pass to keep the drive alive.

A few plays later, Josh Kattus’ two-yard touchdown run gave Kentucky the lead.

Ole Miss got the ball back and kept the game alive when Caden Prieskorn caught a 42-yard pass from Jaxson Dart on 4th-and-11. But the drive stalled at the 31-yard line and Caden Davis came out for a 48-yard field goal attempt. The kick sailed wide left and Kentucky emerged victorious.

The Rebels entered Saturday with 220 points in four games (55 PPG) but were only able to muster 17 points at home against Kentucky, which nearly beat No. 2 Georgia before falling 13-12 last week.

Ultimately, the finger was pointed at Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin after a crushing loss.

There has been at least a little speculation about Kiffin leaving Ole Miss for Florida, where head coach Billy Napier was in the hot seat.

“Lane Kiffin would go to Florida if they gave him the job. This is not a debate. I have Ole Miss people in my closest social circle and they are fighting me on this. They say, ‘What can you do?’ in Florida what you can’t do at Ole Miss?'”

Kiffin isn’t on the hot seat, especially after leading the Rebels to an 11-win season and a Peach Bowl victory last year. Under Kiffin, the Rebels were notably ranked 11th in the final Associated Press poll in 2021 and ninth in 2023.

But Ole Miss entered this season with clear College Football Playoff expectations after last year’s success. Losing to an unranked Kentucky team certainly dampens those hopes, especially given the difficult challenges ahead (14th-ranked LSU, home game against Georgia).

For now, this is a bitter pill to swallow for Ole Miss fans, and fans pointed the finger at Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin after a crushing loss.