▶ BBT Take · Video · Original write-up
Final: Kentucky 35, LSU 34
Watch the highlights
WATCH: The game-winner
WATCH: Coffman goes 55 to the house
Final from Kroger Field: Kentucky 35, No. 10 LSU 34 in overtime.
The Cats beat a top-10 team on a gamble. After LSU scored on the first possession of overtime, Kentucky answered with a touchdown and went for two instead of kicking to force a second overtime. Kenny Minchey's run on the conversion won the game. Here's how Kentucky won a game in which it trailed five different times.
Scoring summary
- 1st Q 8:45 (LSU): S. Starzyk 24-yard FG. UK 0, LSU 3
- 1st Q 8:09 (UK): CJ Baxter 3-yard run (A. Zouagui kick). UK 7, LSU 3
- 1st Q 1:39 (LSU): S. Leavitt pass to Z. Grace for 22 yards (Starzyk kick). UK 7, LSU 10
- 2nd Q 13:06 (UK): B. Coffman 55-yard punt return (Zouagui kick). UK 14, LSU 10
- 2nd Q 6:11 (LSU): Leavitt pass to J. Harris for 10 yards (Starzyk kick). UK 14, LSU 17
- 2nd Q 0:00 (UK): K. Minchey 1-yard run (Zouagui kick). UK 21, LSU 17
- 3rd Q 2:13 (LSU): Starzyk 24-yard FG. UK 21, LSU 20
- 4th Q 11:54 (UK): Zouagui 28-yard FG. UK 24, LSU 20
- 4th Q 9:42 (LSU): J. Harris pass to R. Mothershed for 41 yards (Starzyk kick). UK 24, LSU 27
- 4th Q 0:12 (UK): Zouagui 33-yard FG. UK 27, LSU 27
- OT (LSU): Leavitt 15-yard run (Starzyk kick). UK 27, LSU 34
- OT (UK): Baxter 1-yard run, Minchey run for the two-point conversion. UK 35, LSU 34
Game leaders
- UK passing: Kenny Minchey, 23 of 36 for 246 yards
- UK rushing: CJ Baxter, 19 carries for 123 yards and 2 TD
- UK receiving: Kenny Darby, 4 catches for 79 yards
- LSU passing: Sam Leavitt, 25 of 34 for 275 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
- LSU rushing and receiving: Dilin Jones, 16 carries for 56 yards and 7 catches for 84 yards
Three things that decided it
*1. Kentucky won the turnover battle 2-0.* LSU gave the ball away twice. Leavitt threw an interception and lost a fumble, and Kentucky didn't turn it over at all. In a one-point game, that's the margin.
*2. Special teams scored seven points.* B. Coffman's 55-yard punt return touchdown early in the second quarter put Kentucky ahead again after LSU's opening surge. Kentucky's kicking was shakier. Zouagui made 2 of 4 field goals per ESPN, but both makes, from 28 and 33 yards, came in the fourth quarter when Kentucky needed them.
*3. Kentucky ran when it had to.* Kentucky ran 32 times for 155 yards, while LSU managed 94 yards on 36 carries. Baxter's 123 yards included a 77-yard run, and he scored both the first touchdown and the overtime touchdown that set up the winning conversion.
The fourth-quarter drive
Down 27-24 after a 41-yard touchdown pass from J. Harris to R. Mothershed with 9:42 left, Kentucky didn't panic. Zouagui's 33-yard field goal with 12 seconds left tied it and sent the game to overtime. LSU threw for 316 yards as a team, but Kentucky's defense held long enough to give the offense one last chance.
The decision
After Baxter's overtime touchdown, Will Stein went for two and the win rather than kicking to force a second overtime. Minchey's conversion run ended the game.
Why it matters
The win moved Stein to 5-1, the best start for a Kentucky head coach since Alpha Brumage's 5-1 in 1913, and it was the Cats' second straight 35-34 overtime win. A week later they won in Norman to reach 6-1.
Our Take: Close wins over top-10 teams aren't flukes when you win the turnover battle, score on special teams and run for 155 yards. Stein's two-point call was the headline, but the foundation was a team that didn't beat itself. That's a habit worth keeping through November.
Sources: ESPN game page and box score · ESPN game page · Big Blue Times, Stein's 5-1 start Take (records and history) · ESPN box score, Kentucky at Oklahoma (6-1 record)