Kentucky beats No. 10 LSU 35-34 in overtime on Minchey's two-point run

How it ended

Kentucky beat No. 10 LSU 35-34 in overtime at Kroger Field. LSU scored first in the extra period on a 15-yard run by quarterback Sam Leavitt, making it 34-27. Kentucky answered when CJ Baxter ran it in from a yard out, then quarterback Kenny Minchey ran the two-point conversion in untouched to win it.

Minchey described the conversion afterward: "There was nobody in the middle," he said, so he kept it himself. A 22-yard catch from freshman receiver Kenny Darby had set up the Wildcats at the LSU 1 to begin the sequence.

How it got to overtime

LSU led most of the way. Scott Starzyk's two field goals and touchdown passes to Zach Grace and Jackson Harris had the Tigers up 10-7 and 17-14 at different points, and LSU wideout Jackson Harris even threw a 41-yard touchdown pass to Roman Mothershed for a 27-24 lead with 9:42 left. Kentucky tied it on a Baxter touchdown run before halftime and got touchdowns from a Brock Coffman 55-yard punt return.

Kentucky kicker Adam Zouagui missed field goals of 42 and 26 yards late in the fourth quarter, the second try coming after Leavitt was sacked and fumbled. Zouagui made a 28-yarder and then a 33-yarder with 12 seconds left to force overtime at 27-27.

By the numbers

LSU out-gained Kentucky 410 yards to 401 and led in first downs 26-19, but turned the ball over twice to Kentucky's zero. Minchey finished 23 of 36 for 246 yards, with 206 of that coming in the second half. Baxter ran for 123 yards and two touchdowns, including a 77-yard run on Kentucky's first offensive play of the game. Darby, a freshman who had originally committed to LSU, caught four passes for 79 yards.

Leavitt threw for 275 yards and two touchdowns for LSU but also threw an interception and lost a fumble. Running back Dilin Jones led LSU with 56 rushing yards and also caught seven passes for 84 yards. Linebackers Elijah Barnes of Kentucky and TJ Dottery of LSU each had 12 tackles.

What they said

Kentucky coach Will Stein pointed to preseason doubters after the win. "People count us out," he said, noting that ESPN's College GameDay picked LSU that morning. "It wasn't pretty," he said. "We just kept chopping." Stein also noted Kentucky played the game down three linebackers, two defensive backs and a defensive lineman.

LSU coach Lane Kiffin pointed to the punt return touchdown as a missed tackle that got his team exposed. "If you don't execute, you don't execute," he said. "Disappointing all three phases." Kentucky improved to 5-1 overall and 3-1 in SEC play, while LSU dropped to 4-2 overall and 1-2 in conference games.

Facts per ESPN box score. Opinion is the taproom's.