Kentucky earned its second straight overtime victory by the same score of 35-34 on Saturday night.
A week after beating South Carolina on the road, the Wildcats toppled No. 10 LSU thanks to quarterback Kenny Minchey’s 2-point conversion. The Wildcats are the first team in FBS history – remember, overtime was implemented in 1996 – to win consecutive games by a single point in overtime.
The decision to go for the game-winning conversion came after some game strategy between LSU coach Lane Kiffin and Kentucky coach Will Stein. After Kiffin called a timeout as Kentucky lined up for the win, Stein returned the favor to the next lineup just before one of his players committed a false start penalty.
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If the play wasn’t a quarterback draw, it might as well have been. Minchey dropped back to pass and there were no defenders in the middle of the field as he waltzed into the end zone for the win.
The victory also comes a week after Kentucky inexplicably fell out of the AP Top 25 following the victory at South Carolina. The Wildcats (5-1) were No. 24 entering the game in South Carolina and came back from an early 17-0 deficit. They kind of dropped out of the poll completely after the win and entered Saturday’s game against the Tigers unranked.
Not only will Kentucky (5-1) be ranked on Sunday, but the Wildcats have no more games to play against teams that entered the top 10 in Week 6. Kentucky could remain in the thick of the SEC title race for a while.
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LSU, meanwhile, is already on the brink of the College Football Playoff. With games remaining against Mississippi State, Alabama, Texas and Tennessee, the Tigers (4-2) may not be able to afford another loss and will still make the 12 team.
A big reason for this? Turnovers by quarterback Sam Leavitt. Leavitt had an interception and a fumble in the second half against the Wildcats, and LSU is incredibly lucky that Kentucky didn’t win in regulation. UK kicker Adam Zouagui missed a 26-yard field goal with 3:11 left when Leavitt fumbled at the LSU 13. It was Zouagui’s second miss of the quarter, and Kentucky turned the ball over on downs in the third quarter after Leavitt’s pick.
Leavitt has now thrown eight interceptions in six games in 2026. In 20 games at Arizona State in 2024 and 2025, he has thrown nine interceptions in 589 pass attempts.
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