A year ago, Ole Miss missed out on the College Football Playoff due in no small part to an ugly home loss to Kentucky early in the season. On Saturday, the Rebels went to Lexington seeking a bit of revenge and found themselves in a dog fight again, trailing 10-0 early, before rallying to a 30-23 win.
The line moved from Ole Miss as a 10.5-point favorite to closing as an 8.5-point favorite on the road. Those that got Ole Miss late had visions of going to cover town when the Rebels went up 30-20 late in the fourth quarter, but Kentucky coach Mark Stoops had other ideas.
The Wildcats drove it into Ole Miss territory on their final drive and opted to kick a 39-yard field goal to cut the deficit to seven points with eight seconds left in the game. That gave themselves a chance at a miracle if they recovered an onside kick and completed a Hail Mary, but at minimum it gave the home fans a cover of every number.
After the game, Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin — always aware of the spread — gave a knowing apology to Ole Miss bettors that laid it with the Rebels, closing his postgame interview by saying: “Sorry to a lot of gamblers there at the end.”
It may not exactly count as a bad beat considering Ole Miss was not in position to cover the spread until there was 1:10 remaining in the game.
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