On Saturday evening, Kentucky secured its second straight extra-period victory, mirroring the identical 35-34 final score.
Seven days following an away win over South Carolina, the Wildcats shocked 10th-ranked LSU thanks to quarterback Kenny Minchey’s successful two-point conversion rush. Kentucky stands as the initial program in FBS annals—since the adoption of overtime rules in 1996—to claim consecutive victories by just one point during extra periods.
The choice to attempt the decisive two-point play followed a game of tactical strategy between LSU head coach Lane Kiffin and Kentucky head coach Will Stein. When Kentucky originally set up for the win, Kiffin burned a timeout; Stein answered in kind during the subsequent alignment, signaling just moments before a Wildcat offensive player was about to draw a false start flag.
Though not called as a quarterback draw, it effectively functioned as one. Minchey initiated a pass drop, only to find the central field completely cleared of defenders, allowing him to coast effortlessly into the end zone for the victory.
This triumph arrives a week following Kentucky’s puzzling exclusion from the AP Top 25 after defeating South Carolina. The Wildcats (5-1) sat at No. 24 heading into that contest and rallied from an initial 17-0 deficit. Mystifyingly, they were dropped completely from the rankings following that win, taking the field unranked against the Tigers on Saturday.
Kentucky (5-1) will certainly regain a ranking on Sunday, and they face no remaining opponents that were listed inside the top 10 heading into Week 6. Consequently, the Wildcats could remain deeply involved in the SEC championship push for the foreseeable future.
Meanwhile, LSU finds itself in a precarious position regarding the College Football Playoff. Facing an upcoming schedule featuring Mississippi State, Alabama, Texas, and Tennessee, the Tigers (4-2) likely cannot absorb another defeat if they hope to secure a spot in the 12-team playoff.
A major factor in their struggles stems from quarterback Sam Leavitt’s turnover troubles. Leavitt coughed up a fumble and threw a pick during the second half versus the Wildcats, and LSU was exceptionally lucky that Kentucky failed to end it in regulation. UK placekicker Adam Zouagui pulled a potential game-leading 26-yard field goal attempt wide with 3:11 remaining after Leavitt put the ball on the turf at LSU’s 13-yard line. That marked Zouagui’s second missed kick in the quarter, following a third-quarter drive where Kentucky turned the ball over on downs after Leavitt’s interception.
Through six contests in 2026, Leavitt has accumulated eight intercepted passes. By comparison, during his 20-game tenure at Arizona State spanning 2024 and 2025, he threw a total of nine interceptions across 589 pass attempts.
