Where does Kentucky’s upset of Ole Miss rank among the best wins in program history?
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Game day: Kentucky 20, No. 6 Ole Miss 17
Click below for more of the Herald-Leader and Kentucky.com’s coverage of Saturday’s Kentucky-Ole Miss football game at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Mississippi.
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In one of the most stunning upsets in Kentucky football history, Mark Stoops’ Wildcats, who had not scored a touchdown in their first two SEC games, knocked off No. 6 Ole Miss, 20-17, and its top-ranked offense in Oxford on Saturday.
For just the fifth time in program history, Kentucky defeated a team ranked in the top six of the Associated Press poll at the time of the game. The victory immediately jumps into the conversation for best win in program history.
Here are the other four times UK beat a top-six ranked team:
No. 1 Oklahoma (Jan. 1, 1951)
For now, the Sugar Bowl victory over the undefeated Sooners is Kentucky’s best win in program history. Decades later, Kentucky, which finished the 1950 season at 11-1, was crowned national champion by Jeff Sagarin’s recruiting rankings. The only caveat for this win is at the time bowls were considered closer to postseason exhibitions than meaningful games.
No. 1 Ole Miss (Sept. 26, 1964)
Kentucky earned an early upset of the nation’s No. 1-ranked team in the second week of the 1964 season. With a 27-21 win in Jackson, Mississippi, Kentucky knocked the Rebels’ season off the rails. Despite opening the season at No. 1, Ole Miss finished it at 5-5-1 with a loss to Rice in the Bluebonnet Bowl.
No. 4 Penn State (Oct. 1, 1977)
The marquee victory from Kentucky’s 10-1 1977 season was a 24-20 upset of Penn State at Beaver Stadium in Week 4. Penn State rallied to finish the season 11-1 and No. 5 in the final AP poll. Kentucky, which was not eligible for a bowl game due to NCAA probation, won its final nine games after a Week 2 loss at Baylor.
No. 1 LSU (Oct. 13, 2007)
The best win in the history of the facility formerly known as Commonwealth Stadium (before Saturday at least) came midway through the 2007 season with a three-overtime 43-37 win over the eventual national champions. The win briefly catapulted UK into the top 10 and led ESPN’s “College GameDay” to come to campus for the only time in program history a week later, but Kentucky faltered down the stretch to finish the season 8-5.
This story was originally published September 28, 2024 at 3:45 PM.
