Mississippi upsets Kentucky, honors Black pioneer
Lane Kiffin changed his opinion of his defense after No. 14 Mississippi forced two turnovers in the final three minutes to preserve a 22-19 win over No. 7 Kentucky on Saturday.
“Our guys really showed up, especially in the fourth quarter, getting those two turnovers to win it,” Kiffin said. “I had told them at halftime, I didn’t think they were very good. At the end, our team found a way to come through.”
Even better, Austin Keys and Jared Ivey each created those takeaways inside the red zone. They forced Wildcats quarterback Will Levis to fumble on consecutive possessions with AJ Finley and Tavius Robinson recovering each, respectively.
Both plays stopped potential game-winning drives inside the 20 to preserve the victory for the Rebels (5-0, 1-0 Southeastern Conference).
Jonathan Cruz’s goahead, 26-yard field goal late in the third quarter put Ole Miss up 22-19 and set the stage for the tense, frantic finish. The Rebels’ defense forced the Wildcats to turn the ball over on downs early in the fourth before creating the turnovers to seal the win.
“We certainly had our opportunities,” Kentucky coach Mark Stoops said. “It came down with two opportunities late in the red zone. We came away with zero.”
Levis led Kentucky (4-0, 1-1) to the Ole Miss 18 before fumbling while diving for additional yardage. The Wildcats created a final opportunity on Levis’ 51-yard pass to Barion Brown to the 7. After a touchdown-nullifying illegal motion penalty, Levis fumbled on the next play on a sack by Ivey with 58 seconds remaining.
At halftime, Mississippi paid tribute to James Meredith 60 years after integration. White protesters erupted into violence in 1962 as he became the first Black student to enroll in what was then a bastion of Deep South segregation. A local resident and a French journalist were killed in the violence on the Oxford campus.
The enigmatic Meredith, 89, who lives in Jackson, Miss., has long resisted the label of civil rights leader, as if civil rights are separate from other human rights. He says his effort to enter Ole Miss was his own battle to conquer white supremacy.
During an event Wednesday at the university, Meredith told an audience: “In my opinion, this is the best day I ever lived. But there’s some more truth. Celebration is good. I don’t think there’s anybody in this house or in the state of Mississippi that think the problem has been solved."
No. 3 Ohio St. 49, A Rutgers 10: Miyan Williams carried the load for Ohio State, rushing for a career-high 189 yards and five touchdowns as the host Buckeyes (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) beat the Scarlet Knights (3-2, 0-2).
No. 4 Michigan 27, A
Iowa 14: Blake Corum rushed for 133 yards and a touchdown, J.J. McCarthy threw for 155 yards and a touchdown and the Wolverines beat the host Hawkeyes. The Wolverines (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) were able to consistently move the ball against the Hawkeyes (3-2, 1-1), who came into the game leading the nation in scoring defense and ranked sixth in total defense and rushing defense.
No. 9 Oklahoma St. A 36, No. 16 Baylor 25: Jaden Nixon returned the secondhalf kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown while Spencer Sanders ran and threw for touchdowns as the Cowboys (4-0, 1-0 Big 12) beat the host Bears (3-2, 1-1 Big 12). The game Saturday was a rematch of last year’s Big 12 championship game won by Baylor. The return by Nixon started a flurry of 39 combined points in the third quarter. The 4-0 Cowboys also beat Baylor in the regular season last year. Baylor is 3-2 and both losses are to ranked teams. Sanders threw for 181 yards. Blake Shapen threw for 345 yards for the Bears.
No. 11 Penn St. 17, A Northwestern 7: Nick Singleton had 21 carries for 87 yards and a touchdown and the host Nittany Lions’ defense forced three turnovers in a win over the Wildcats (1-3, 1-1 Big Ten) for 140 yards with a touchdown. Kaytron Allen added 86 rushing yards on 21 carries and kicker Jake Pinegar added a field goal to help Penn State (5-0, 2-0) stay unbeaten heading into an off week.
No. 12 Utah 42, Oregon A St. 16: Cameron Rising threw for 199 yards and three touchdowns and added 73 yards and a score on the ground to lead the host Utes (4-1, 2-0 Pac-12) over the Beavers (3-2, 0-2).
TCU 55, No. 18 Oklahoma A 24: Max Duggan ran 67 yards for one of two touchdowns and threw for three scores, leading the host Horned Frogs (4-0, 1-0 Big 12) to a rout of the Sooners (3-2, 0-2). OU quarterback Dillon Gabriel was knocked out of the game in the second quarter when he was hit while sliding by Jamoi Hodge. The TCU linebacker was ejected for targeting.
Purdue 20, No. 21 A Minnesota 10: Devin Mockobee rushed for 102 yards and a late touchdown to pad Purdue’s lead, and the Boilermakers’ (3-2, 1-1 Big Ten) defense fueled yet another takedown of a ranked opponent by beating the host Golden Gophers (4-1, 1-1).
No. 25 Kansas St. 37, A Texas Tech 28: Adrian Martinez rushed for 171 yards and three touchdowns and threw for another score, leading the host Wildcats past the Red Raiders. Martinez was 12-for-19 passing for 116 yards for Kansas State (4-1, 2-0 Big 12), while Deuce Vaughn added 170 rushing yards for the Wildcats, who extended their winning streak against the Red Raiders (3-2, 1-1) to seven games.