Lane Kiffin's much-hyped return to Mississippi ended with a fourth-down failure.
Jaylon Braxton intercepted Sam Leavitt's pass into the end zone in the final seconds, setting off a raucous celebration that was nine months in the making and sending Kiffin and No. 7 LSU home with a 32-24 loss to eighth-ranked Ole Miss that showed just how hated the coach has become in Oxford.
It was the second loss of the day for a top-10 team from the Southeastern Conference. Kentucky stunned No. 9 Texas A&M 31-21 on the road.
The later one was equally shocking, mostly because the Rebels looked like they would roll over the Tigers early. Ole Miss led 24-7 at halftime. LSU stormed back in the second half and had a chance to tie the game in the final minute.
But Leavitt's pass was tipped and then picked off.
A few minutes later, after Trinidad Chambliss took two knees, the home team reveled by shooting fireworks and playing “Callin' Baton Rouge” by Garth Brooks — an epic troll.
It was exactly what Kiffin should have expected after getting wildly booed long before he arrived at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
Kiffin appeared remotely on ESPN’s “College GameDay,” and Mississippi fans still angry about how he left the Rebels for LSU late last season greeted him with a chorus of expletive-laced chants.
“I really appreciate you guys gaslighting them with this,” Kiffin said from the team hotel.
It was the latest in a growing buildup for the first top-10 matchup between No. 7 LSU and eight-ranked Ole Miss since 1962.
It started when Kiffin left the Rebels to take the LSU job and a $91 million contract just as the team he had coached for six years was days away from its first appearance in the College Football Playoff. Kiffin wanted to stay through the playoff, but Ole Miss moved on to coach Pete Golding and advanced to the CFP semifinals. LSU finished 7-6, capped by a loss in the Texas Bowl.
The off-field storylines haven't stopped since. Kiffin's comments about whether Black players could be recruited to Ole Miss, lawsuits alleging Ole Miss transfers owe big money for reneging on their NIL deals and LSU's now-abandoned defiance of rules against rostering former pro players have only brightened the spotlight for this one.
Kentucky wins behind three transfers
The Wildcats got big games from quarterback Kenny Minchey, running back CJ Baxter and safety Jordan Castell in College Station, Texas.
Minchey, a Notre Dame transfer, completed 14 of 18 passes for 252 yards and two touchdowns. He connected on his final 11 throws. Baxter, a former Texas standout, ran for 87 yards and two scores. Castell, a three-year starter at Florida, finished with a team-high 13 tackles and an interception.
“I’m not shocked,” first-year head coach Will Stein said afterward. “This is how these guys practiced every single day. This is what Kentucky football is supposed to look like. So proud of our guys coming on the road, the eye of the storm. How freaking cool is this? Let’s go!”
Stein, 36, replaced longtime Kentucky coach Mark Stoops in December and became the third first-year Wildcats coach to beat a top-10 team — first since Joker Phillips in 2010.
“We knew it was going to be a bar fight, a fistfight, old school,” Stein said. “We were the tougher team tonight. That’s how we won the game."
Huge comebacks were all the rage
Double-digit comebacks were trending across the country, with at least five winners rallying from 14 or more points.
No. 10 Alabama did it against Florida State; Vanderbilt did it against N.C. State; Toledo did it against Temple; Clemson did it against North Carolina; and Cincinnati did it against Miami (Ohio).
Swinney, Clemson get help from a lengthy weather delay
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney can thank Mother Nature for alleviating some heat.
Gideon Davidson ran for 105 yards and scored the go-ahead touchdown with five minutes remaining as the Tigers rallied from a 14-point deficit to beat North Carolina 28-20 on Saturday in a game that included a 2 1/2-hour weather delay.
Clemson’s Tait Reynolds completed 20 of 29 passes for 215 yards with a touchdown and an interception in his first career start.
The Tigers trailed 17-15 with 8:11 remaining and UNC with momentum. It was second-and-goal at the Tigers 7 when officials sent both teams to the locker room after lightning was detected in the area.
When players returned to the field, it was all Clemson. The Tigers stuffed two runs, forced a field goal and took over from there.
Ohio State has a new career receiving yardage leader
Jeremiah Smith became Ohio State’s career receiving yardage leader.
Smith caught five passes for 85 yards in a 59-3 victory over Kent State. The junior needed 26 yards to surpass Michael Jenkins’ 2,898 yards from 2000-03 and become OSU’s record-holder and got it on his second catch of the game, when he hauled in a 23-yard pass from Julian Sayin midway through the first quarter.
“Put a lot of hard work into it," Smith said. “They said 33 games, so I’m blessed.”
High-scoring affair between two of ACC’s best
Keyjuan Brown ran for a career-high 163 yards and a pair of long touchdowns to carry No. 23 Louisville to a 41-31 victory over 16th-ranked SMU. The teams picked to finish second (SMU) and third (Louisville) in the Atlantic Coast Conference put on a back-and-forth affair, trading the lead eight times before the Cardinals sealed it on Isaac Brown’s 27-yard touchdown run with 5:32 remaining.
Both teams were trying to keep pace with No. 5 Miami, which beat Wake Forest 33-20 on Friday night behind an impressive performance by quarterback Darian Mensah.
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