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Sep 28, 2024; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Stoops reacts after defeating the Mississippi Rebels at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Numbers to know before Kentucky's SEC clash with #20 Ole Miss

Originally posted on Kentucky Wildcats on SI
By Wyatt Huff | Last updated Sep 5, 2025 9:35 AM ET

Kentucky and Ole Miss will be opening SEC play in Kroger Field on Saturday as the Wildcats are looking to make a statement win to catapult their season, and the Rebels are looking for sweet revenge after falling to Kentucky off of a missed field goal in 2024.

Ole Miss has gotten the best of Kentucky in recent years, but last season's win by Kentucky has been in the back of the Rebels' heads all off-season. They're looking to not let last season happen again. Right now, the game spread is set at Ole Miss as 10-point favorites, which, going off recent history, is just a little high. On the other hand, Ole Miss is one of the best teams in the country, while Kentucky is coming off of a struggling eight-point win over Toledo in Week 1, where the offense displayed a lot of struggling moments and the defense was a bright spot.

Let's take a look at some interesting trends and numbers heading into a matchup that is important for the future of both teams' seasons.

The past four meetings have been VERY close

Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Kentucky has actually played Ole Miss very close in recent matchups, believe it or not. Each of the past four meetings have been decided by three points or less, including an overtime loss for Kentucky in 2020. Although three of the four most recent matchups have been heartbreakers for Kentucky, they're coming off a thrilling 20-17 win, which marked the program's highest-ranked road win in history. It was also a turning point for Ole Miss, as that loss is likely what kept them out of the playoff. Here's how the past four games have been decided:

2024: Missed game-winning field goal by Ole Miss

2023: Kentucky gets a touchdown called off after a penalty before fumbling soon after.

2020: Ole Miss game-winning touchdown in OT after missed Kentucky PAT

2020: Ole Miss game-winning touchdown with five seconds left

Ole Miss has led the nation in yards per game since 2020

Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

With an Ole Miss offense ran by Lane Kiffin, you know exactly what you're getting, which is a high-tempo and very explosive offense. The Rebels love to put up points, and in an Ole Miss offense, that also comes with A LOT of yards. Since 2020, Ole Miss has averaged an FBS leading 507.2 yards per game. In Week 1 against Georgia State, the Rebels put up 695 yards total, including their sneaky running game, which produced 296 yards on the ground. Their 695 total yards against Georgia State ranks as the eighth-most ever by an Ole Miss team. Along those lines, Lane Kiffin is also responsible for eight of the top 10 best offensive performances ever by an Ole Miss team.

Kentucky will have their hands full once again this season with another explosive Ole Miss offense, which means they're going to need a big day from the Kentucky defense, especially the front seven, which received some high praise after their showing against Toledo.

The Wildcat's can't just rely on their defense though, because they'll need to get their offense going, which struggled to find rhythm, to have a good chance to pull off a second-straight upset win over the Rebels.

This article first appeared on Kentucky Wildcats on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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