LEXINGTON, Ky. — Quarterback Kenneth Minchey ran untouched for a 2-point conversion after C.J. Baxter scored on a 1-yard run to lift Kentucky to a 35-34 overtime victory over No. 10 LSU on Saturday night.
“There was nobody in the middle, so I figured I would run there,” Minchey said. “We had our play called, and I wasn't necessarily part of it, but that's what my read told me to so I ran it in. It was great.”
LSU (4-2, 1-2 Southeastern Conference) scored first in overtime when quarterback Sam Leavitt scored on a 15-yard run.
Kentucky (5-1, 3-1) forced overtime when Adam Zouagui kicked a 33-yard field goal with 12 seconds left in regulation after missing field goals of 42 and 26 yards with less than five minutes to play, the second after Leavitt was sacked and fumbled.
“I’m in shock. We’ve got a really good football team. People count us out. I took a picture of (ESPN) College GameDay this morning; everyone picked LSU. Keep doing that. It gives us a lot of fuel,” Kentucky coach Will Stein said. “It wasn’t pretty. It wasn’t perfect. We just kept chopping. We kept fighting.”
Minchey was 23 of 36 for 246 yards passing, 206 of those in the second half. Baxter ran for 123 yards — 77 on Kentucky’s first play of the game — and two touchdowns.
Freshman receiver Kenneth Darby, who had originally committed to LSU, had four catches for 79 yards. His 22-yard catch in overtime put the Wildcats at the LSU 1 to set up the winning sequence.
“It’s just tough to stop those guys. I mean, Sam Leavitt’s really good. They got big backs. They were throwing it all over the yard. This is not to discredit our defense, our defense made some unbelievable plays and takeaways and dealing with injuries,” Stein said.
Kentucky was down three linebackers, two defensive backs and a defensive lineman.
Leavitt was 25-of-34 passing for 275 yards and two touchdowns, but also had an interception and the fumble. LSU wide receiver Jackson Harris threw a 41-yard touchdown pass to Roman Mothershed with 9:42 remaining to give the Tigers a 27-24 lead.
“It came down to a one-play game, but there were a lot of plays before that to close the game out. We had the ball ahead, and turned it over,” said LSU coach Lane Kiffin. “Disappointing all three phases. If you don't execute, you don't execute. On the punt return (a 55-yard touchdown by Brock Coffman), we had a player there tackling him and he didn't tackle him. If you don't execute, you get exposed against a good team.”
The takeaway
LSU: The Tigers' defense was giving up an average of 220.6 yards per game, third in the nation. Saturday night they gave up 401 yards. The high-powered Tiger offense was third nationally at 547.8 yards per game, but ended Saturday night with 410 yards.
Kentucky: Saturday’s win was the Wildcats' second straight overtime win, both by identical 35-34 scores. The Wildcats beat South Carolina last Saturday on the road, but fell out of the Top 25 poll. They could make a big leap back into the poll this week. It's also the first time in school history Kentucky has played two straight overtime games.
Up Next
LSU: Hosts No. 17 Mississippi State next Saturday.
Kentucky: Visits Oklahoma next Saturday.
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