LSU and Kentucky have spent decades producing the kind of games that feel more like nerve tests than football. The odd part is that the series has never been close on the whole, even though the individual matchups have delivered plenty of mayhem.
These teams played every year from 1952 to 2002, and LSU has not won in Lexington since 2002. Long before the Bluegrass Miracle, Bear Bryant was already part of this matchup, serving as Kentucky’s head coach in four meetings between 1949 and 1953.
That early stretch set the tone for the chaos. Bryant’s Wildcats blanked LSU in the first two meetings, winning 19-0 in Baton Rouge in 1949 and 14-0 in Lexington in 1950. LSU finally broke through in 1952 with a 34-7 win in Lexington, and the 6-6 tie in Baton Rouge in 1953 still stands as the only tie in the series.
The weirdness never really stopped. In 1988, LSU survived a 15-12 game in Baton Rouge the week after the Earthquake Game, holding on after a late safety. Four years later, Kentucky walked into Tiger Stadium and pulled out a 27-25 win during the Curley Hallman era, with LSU finishing 2-9 that season.
The late 1990s brought another wild chapter. In 1997, Kentucky won 27-24 in Lexington behind Tim Couch, who threw for 410 yards in Hal Mumme’s Air Raid attack. That victory gave Kentucky its first win over a ranked LSU team in almost 20 years.
Then came 2001, when Jared Lorenzen led a comeback only for LSU quarterback Rohan Davey to connect with true freshman receiver Michael Clayton for a touchdown with 13 seconds left. LSU escaped with a 27-24 win.
The next year produced the game that still defines the series. Kentucky took a 30-27 lead on a field goal and had two seconds left to protect it, while Guy Morriss was already covered in Gatorade.
LSU, led by Nick Saban, lined up for Dash Right 93 Berlin. Marcus Randall dropped back from his own 18-yard line and launched the ball as a Kentucky defender tipped it near the 25.
Devery Henderson tracked down the deflection around the 15 and carried it in for the touchdown. LSU won 33-30.
Kentucky added another memorable twist in 2007, when it beat LSU 43-37 in triple overtime to end the Tigers’ undefeated run. LSU was No. 1 at the time, and the loss became part of a championship season anyway, as the Tigers went on to become the first two-loss team to win the national title.
For all the chaos, the numbers still lean heavily LSU’s way. The Tigers lead the series 39-17-1, give or take a vacated win on both sides, and they also own the longest winning streak, stringing together 13 straight from 1961 to 1973.
The most recent meeting came in Lexington in 2021, when Mark Stoops’ 16th-ranked Wildcats handled Ed Orgeron’s LSU team 42-21. Will Levis completed 14 of 17 passes for 145 yards and three touchdowns and also ran for two scores.
Chris Rodriguez Jr. rushed for 147 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries and caught another touchdown pass, while Wan’Dale Robinson added eight receptions for 60 yards and a score. LSU got 261 passing yards from Max Johnson, including a 41-yard touchdown to Malik Nabers, and Kayson Boutte and Brian Thomas Jr. combined for 11 catches and 118 yards.
Ty Davis-Price ran for 147 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries, and Damone Clark led the defense with 14 tackles.
In Other News...
LSU Enters Kentucky With One Big Edge And A Real Concern
LSU got a clean bill of health change-wise on its final injury report for the Kentucky game, while the Wildcats are dealing with a more damaging list on the other side. Kentucky will be without defensive lineman Kalen Edwards, and that matters in a matchup where trench play already shapes how both teams want to control the game. For the Tigers, the headline is not a new setback, but the chance to lean on an edge that has been there since the report first came out.
Still, LSU is not exactly walking into this one untouched. The Tigers will be missing five players, including linebackers Whit Weeks and Charles Ross II, safety Dashawn Spears, wide receiver Phillip Wright III and tight end Trey'Dez Green, which leaves the roster thinner in a few key spots. Even so, the most intriguing part of the matchup may be how LSU's running game holds up against a Kentucky defense trying to absorb its own injury losses and keep the Tigers from dictating the pace. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Freshman WR Is Forcing A Rethink Before Kentucky
LSU has spent plenty of effort rebuilding its wide receiver room through the transfer portal under coach Lane Kiffin, adding nine newcomers and creating one of the rosters most watched battles for snaps. But after the McNeese game, true freshman Corey Barber Jr. made a real case to be part of the conversation, giving the Tigers another young option to consider as they sort out who belongs on the field.
The timing matters because Kentucky is next, and the competition is not just about depth anymore. Kansas State transfer Jayce Brown is still in the mix, but Barbers breakout has forced LSU to at least rethink how the rotation should look going forward, with both players expected to keep fighting for playing time this week. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Heads To Kentucky With A Few Big Questions In Play
LSU heads to Kentucky with the kind of midseason test that can expose what is real and what still needs work. The Wildcats arrive on a three-game winning streak, and the Tigers are trying to sort through a few important answers of their own as they get ready for a road game that will say plenty about where this team stands.
A lot will hinge on the play of Sam Leavitt, Ty Benefield, Jordan Seaton and Davhon Keys, four LSU pieces whose recent form and responsibilities make them central to the matchup. Whether the Tigers can settle in against a confident Kentucky team may come down to how steady that group is when the game starts to tighten. [Read more 🡒]