News Article
Published
Oct 11, 2026 at 02:03 PM EDT
Kentucky stunned No. 10 LSU 35-34 in overtime on Saturday night in Lexington.
The Wildcats tied it at 27 with a late field goal, then LSU scored first in overtime on a 15-yard run from quarterback Sam Leavitt. Wildcats running back C.J. Baxter answered with a 1-yard touchdown, and Kentucky went for two and won it on a short run from Kenny Minchey.
LSU moved the ball through the air, with Leavitt going 25 of 34 for 275 yards and two touchdowns. But the Tigers ran for just 94 yards at 2.6 per carry, and they turned it over twice. LSU also had seven penalties for 50 yards and allowed 155 rushing yards to the Wildcats backfield.
It was the second straight week Kentucky won by going for two. They beat South Carolina 35-34 in overtime on a two-point conversion last Saturday.
After the game, though, attention quickly shifted to Lane Kiffin as it was reported that former Tigers coach Brian Kelly, who was fired midseason last year, lost just four games as a favorite by three or more points in his four seasons at LSU. Kiffin, meanwhile, has already lost two in six games, matching half of Kelly's total.
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Kelly arrived at LSU from Notre Dame in December 2021 on a 10-year deal. He went 34-14 with a 3-0 bowl record, but won just one SEC West title in 2022 and didn't make the College Football Playoff once or win any SEC championships. LSU fired him in October 2025, after a 5-3 start to the season. The final straw was a 49-25 loss to Texas A&M in Baton Rouge, and his buyout is about $54 million, one of the biggest in college football history.
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Kiffin took over after leaving Ole Miss, and LSU gave him a seven-year, $91 million contract. Expectations are sky-high, and the start has been shaky. LSU is 4-2 after a loss at Ole Miss and Saturday’s overtime loss to Kentucky. The road ahead doesn't get any easier either. Next up, they'll host Mississippi State before clashes with Auburn, Alabama, Texas, Tennessee, and Arkansas.