BY THE NUMBERS: Previewing Kentucky vs. Ole Miss
In our regular pregame feature, Cats Illustrated examines some of the intriguing numbers behind Saturday’s SEC opener between Kentucky and No. 20 Ole Miss at Kroger Field…
2 – Kentucky players from Mississippi: running back Dante Dowdell (Picayune) and defensive lineman Josaih Hayes (Horn Lake).
3 – Touchdowns for Ole Miss running back Kewan Lacy in his debut for the Rebels, a 63-7 win over Georgia State.
No. 6 – The Rebels’ ranking last season when Kentucky won 20-17 in Oxford. It marks the highest-ranked opponent that the Cats have defeated during the Mark Stoops era.
7 – Straight losses against SEC opponents at Kroger Field for the Cats. The last time the home fans got to see a UK victory in league play was against Florida in September of 2023.
8 of 10 – Top offensive performances in Ole Miss history are owned by head coach Lane Kiffin, whose team recorded 695 yards of total offense last week against Georgia State. He has 28 600-yard games among his 47 coached with the Rebels.
10 – Total points have decided the last four Kentucky-Ole Miss games; three by three and one by one. Each game was also decided in the final minute of regulation or overtime.
13 – Tackles by UK linebacker Alex Afari last week in the season opener against Toledo. That mark leads the SEC throught he first week of the season.
30-15-1 – Ole Miss owns the all-time series lead over UK, but the Cats are 11-11-1 in Lexington. Ten of the Rebels’ wins came at neutral settings in Jackson, Miss., and Memphis. Kentucky is looking for its first back-to-back wins over Ole Miss since 1978 and 1979.
No. 51 – Jersey number of 6-foot-8 Rebels defensive lineman Zxavian Harris, who had 1.5 TFL, one interception, and a blocked field goal last week in a disruptive showing against Georgia State. He stands just one blocked kick shy of tying the SEC record (7), which is shared by former Cat Lonnell Dewalt, who blocked seven in his only season with UK.
66-8 – Kentucky’s record under Mark Stoops when it leads going into the fourth quarter.
59 – Yards rushing allowed by the UK defense last week against Toledo. Ole Miss rushed for 295 yards in its season opener.
65 – Newcomers, including 38 transfers, are on the Rebels’ 2025 roster.
85 – Yards passing by Kentucky last week against Toledo. It marked a career low for UK grad senior quarterback Zach Calzada for a game in which he had at least 10 attempts. Ole Miss had 93 yards passing after its fifth snap of the game last week against Georgia State.
341 – Yards passing by Ole Miss quarterback Austin Simmons last week in his first career start.
