Kentucky and Ole Miss have played 44 times since 1944. As they face off on Saturday, let's look back at some of the numbers and the history to get a sense of how Saturday could look.
Kentucky head Coach Mark Stoops has been at the helm for 12 years. In that time, he faced off against Ole Miss only three times: 2017, 2020, and 2022. This is simply due to SEC scheduling arrangements. In two of those three contests, Lane Kiffin coached Ole Miss.
Let me rip the band-aid off here: Stoops has never beaten Ole Miss. The Rebels are going into this game on a three-game win streak against the Wildcats. The last time Kentucky won against Ole Miss was in 2011 when Joker Phillips coached against Mississippi's Houston Nutt. The score of that game was 30-13, and it was played on Kentucky's home field, Commonwealth Stadium (at the time).
One could argue that Stoops is due for a win because of how close he has taken it in each of those three contests. He has never lost to Ole Miss by more than 3 points.
2022: Ole Miss won 22-19
2020: Ole Miss won 42-41
2017: Ole Miss won 37-34
We are almost assured of a close contest when these two teams take the field against each other, at least in the last decade. However, the overall record goes to Ole Miss, and it's not even close. Since 1944, the Rebels have 29 wins to the Wildcats' 14, with a random tie thrown in.
Let's take a closer look at the 2022 game, with it only being two seasons ago, there are similar players and coaching styles. In fact, we will see the same opposing quarterback in Jaxon Dart.
In 2022, the defense for Kentucky started off slow and allowed 14 first-quarter points, but then they really turned it on and were able to limit the Rebels to only six more points the entire game. The other two points came from a safety on Kentucky. Those early points scored that truly cost Kentucky the opportunity to win the game. At the end of the game, Kentucky had a chance to take the lead and the win in a Dane Key TD that was called back due to a penalty, which many fans remember clearly.
Back in 2022, Kentucky went to Oxford ranked #7 with a 16-3 record in their previous 19 games
— Blue Chips (@UKBlueChips) September 24, 2024
Then this Game Winning TD with less than a Minute to play was Called Back…
If that was the turning point for the worst, then this Weekend We Go and Turn it Back for the Best 📈 pic.twitter.com/7PCBgkPHXn
As another Stoops-coached Kentucky team takes on a Kiffin-coached Ole Miss team, the defense must step up against an explosive offensive attack. This defense has looked solid this season and Dart and company will truly test them on Saturday. The game will come down to how effective the offense for Kentucky will be, if they want to change history and stop the losing streak against the Rebels, they will need to find the end zone and not rely solely on made field goals.