Put on upset watch by many in week one, including College Gameday’s Kirk Herbstreit, the Kentucky Wildcats took care of business in week one against Toledo. On Saturday comes the first SEC test of the season, the top 20-ranked Ole Miss Rebels.
After upsetting a sixth-ranked Ole Miss team in Oxford a year ago, their only SEC win of the season, Mark Stoops will look to pull the upset again against his friend Lane Kiffin. However, Kiffin is looking for revenge after last year’s loss held his program
from their first-ever College Football Playoff appearance.
“Yeah, it was horrible,” Kiffin said, reflecting on the loss on Monday. “It was horrible on all fronts because it was such a bizarre game, and in football, everything can go different ways, but it was like all these plays. … It’s just so many ways that game could have gone our way, and so many things went their way.”
“It was really hard to deal with because I just didn’t think we played that well, either, and still had the ball ahead later in the game. Then drive down, and then the missed field goal. It all sucked.”
Looking at the series, these teams have played each other incredibly close in recent history, as four straight contests have been decided by three points or less, 3-1 in Ole Miss’ favor.
While Ole Miss needs to take care of business to meet expectations and show they are a playoff-caliber team, Mark Stoops and the Wildcats need to be competitive in this game to show fans they can have a successful season.
Let’s take a look at the matchup.
Battle of the Trenches
In week one, Kentucky won the battle of the trenches on both sides of the ball. They even ranked as one of the top defensive lines across college football in week one. Now they will try to replicate that against a top-20 team.
Ole Miss will enter this game with the more talented roster on both sides of the ball, but a strong performance from the D-line once again could really flip this game on its head. Why is that? To slow down Lane Kiffin’s tempo offense, you have to get them behind the chains. If the team can get pressure in the backfield, the tempo game starts to slightly shift to the type Mark Stoops wants to play.
How about on offense? This new look O-line just needs to play a clean game and keep Zach Calzada off the ground. Stay ahead of the chains and points will show up on the board.
Limit Mistakes
If history continues, this game is going to be a close contest, and in close games, you have to limit mistakes. Something Kentucky has had issues with at times under Mark Stoops.
In Week 1, Kentucky won, but a bigger margin of victory was there for the taking if not for an interception, a safety taken, and a fumble, all happening on consecutive drives. That kind of stretch will lead to Ole Miss blowing out the Cats at home.
Brad White Masterclass
Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin is praised as an offensive mastermind, but if there is one person who has had his number, it’s Kentucky defensive coordinator Brad White.
In the last three seasons, Ole Miss has played the Wildcats. The Rebels’ offensive production in those games has ranked among the bottom three games of each respective season. That includes a season-low 353 total offensive yards in last year’s contest.
In Week 1, the Kentucky secondary displayed some concerns, allowing some big plays, especially toward the end, but the defensive line was able to get consistent pressure on the quarterback. That has not been the case in recent seasons.
For the Cats to pull off the win this Saturday, Coach White and his defense will need to shine again.
Kentucky Wildcats vs. Ole Miss Rebels
- Game Time: 3:30 PM ET on September 6, 2025
- Location: Kroger Field
- TV Channel: ABC will have the coverage for this game.
- Announcers: Sean McDonough, Greg McElroy, and Molly McGrath
- Online Stream: ESPN+ and the ESPN app.
- Radio: Tom Leach and Jeff Piecoro have the UK radio call on the UK Sports Network.
- Satellite Radio: XM Channel 203, Sirius Channel 98, Internet Channel 966
- Replay: ESPN+ and SEC Network (check local listings).
- Rosters: UK | MISS
- Stats To Know: UK | MISS
- Advanced Stats
- Weather.com Forecast
- Odds: FanDuel Sportsbook has Ole Miss as a 10.5-point favorite with an over/under of 47.5. ESPN gives the Wildcats an 83.6% chance of victory.
- Predictions: TeamRankings has Kentucky losing 30-20. Sportsbook Wire has the home team winning 34-21. DRatings.com picks the Cats to lose 30-21. According to Odds Picker, 93% of expert pickers are going with the Rebels, while 71% are picking Ole Miss to cover the double-digit spread.
- I think the Cats will put up a fight but come up short, losing 31-17.
