LSU had the game in hand late, then watched it slip away in the final stretch and overtime as Kentucky pulled out a 35-34 win.
The Tigers took the field in Lexington chasing a third straight victory and opened the night with a steady march. LSU moved 14 plays on its first possession before Scott Starcyzk put it on the board with a field goal for a 3-0 lead. Kentucky answered immediately in explosive fashion, with CJ Baxter ripping off 767 yards to the LSU 3 before the Texas transfer finished the job on the next snap to put the Wildcats ahead 7-3.
LSU kept answering. The Tigers needed 11 plays to go 75 yards on their next scoring drive, capped by a double reverse that ended with Sam Leavitt hitting Zach Grace for a 22-yard touchdown and a 10-7 lead.
After a pair of quick three-and-outs, Kentucky swung momentum back with a punt-return touchdown. LSU’s offense responded again, this time stringing together a 14-play, 75-yard drive that ended with Leavitt finding Jackson Harris in the back of the end zone.
Kentucky closed the first half with one last long drive, going 15 plays before Kenny Minchey punched it in to give the Wildcats a 21-17 advantage at the break.
The third quarter produced just one score, a Starcyzk field goal with 2:13 left in the frame that pulled LSU within 21-20. Early in the fourth, Adam Zouagui added his first field goal of the night to stretch Kentucky’s lead to 24-20.
LSU then answered with another trick-play touchdown. Two minutes later, the Tigers went 75 yards and finished the drive with Harris throwing a 41-yard score to Roman Mothershed, flipping the game back in LSU’s favor at 27-24.
That edge didn’t hold. Zouagui missed two field goals late in the fourth, and LSU looked ready to escape with the win before a late punt and a key Kentucky drive set up the tying field goal that forced overtime.
LSU struck first in the extra period. On the second play of overtime, Leavitt kept it himself and ran 15 yards for a touchdown, pushing the Tigers ahead 34-27.
Kentucky responded with a touchdown of its own and went for two, but movement on the line was wiped out by a Will Stein timeout. On the third try, Kenny Minchey powered in from three yards out to seal the 35-34 Wildcats win.
In Other News...
Lane Kiffin's Daughter Just Gave LSU Fans An Awkward Texas Twist
Lane Kiffins family is already adding a little extra spice to LSUs looming matchup with Texas. Landry Kiffin, the daughter of the Tigers head coach, was headed to Dallas for the Red River Rivalry between Texas and Oklahoma and showed up in Longhorns gear, then joked on social media that she was scouting the competition before LSUs game with Texas.
The timing makes it an easy topic around Baton Rouge, where the Tigers and Longhorns are set to meet Nov. 14 at Tiger Stadium. For LSU fans, it is the kind of small but combustible detail that turns a regular trip to a rivalry game into another reminder that the Texas prep work is already underway. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Freshman WR Is Forcing A Rethink Before Kentucky
LSUs receiver room already had plenty of moving parts before Corey Barber Jr. made himself harder to ignore. Under coach Lane Kiffin, the Tigers have brought in nine wide receivers through the transfer portal, and that kind of depth usually means every snap has to be earned. But the true freshmans standout showing against McNeese gave LSU something it could not fake in a crowded rotation: a young player forcing his way into the conversation.
Now the focus turns to Kentucky, where Barber and Kansas State transfer Jayce Brown are both in line to battle for playing time. Brown arrived with the kind of rsum that typically buys a longer look, but Barbers emergence has added a new wrinkle to how LSU may handle the position group going forward. For a team already sorting through a loaded receiver mix, the next game will say a lot about how quickly the freshmans rise can turn from a one-game spark into a real role. [Read more 🡒]
Ed Orgeron Just Took A Big Step In His LSU Return
Ed Orgerons return to LSU has taken another noticeable step, as the former Tigers head coach and current special assistant joined the football team on its road trip to Kentucky. It was his first trip with the program since a health issue in August kept him away, and it adds another layer to a reunion that has already had a real football purpose, with Orgeron involved in recruiting as LSU continues to lean on a familiar face.
Lane Kiffin confirmed Orgeron is back around the program and spoke about both his health and his presence with the Tigers. Even so, Orgeron is not expected to be on the sideline for the Kentucky game, leaving his return in a sort of middle ground for now: close enough to matter, not quite complete enough to answer every question about how this comeback will look moving forward. [Read more 🡒]