By KACE KIESCHNICK, Tiger Rag Staff
Mistakes and missed opportunities. M&M’s – but not the sweet kind.
Those were the traits that defined No. 10 LSU’s (4-2, 1-2 Southeastern Conference) 35-34 overtime loss at Kentucky (5-1, 3-1 SEC) on Saturday night at Kroger Field in Lexington.
When searching for either in the disappointing upset, you do not need to look any further than the game’s opening drive.
The Tigers kicked off their second road SEC battle of the season with a 14 play, 69-yard drive that ended in points. LSU moved the chains five times and converted two third downs. Quarterback Sam Leavitt was 4-of-5 passing for 54 yards.
What would otherwise be a picturesque opening series for a national night game on ESPN in front of a hostile crowd was marred by having to settle for a 24-yard field goal. It was a simple disappointment in the moment, but the promise of the offense’s comfort moving the ball overshadowed much concern. Still, it was a missed opportunity. As for the mistakes, the Tigers took only six plays to draw their first pre-snap penalty. It came on a third-and-six that was then converted from five yards farther away. It, too, had no major implications in the moment, but both were early indications of what was to come.
The next mistake was much more costly. A poor defensive fit on the Wildcats’ first snap led to a 77-yard race to the 3-yard line. Kentucky did not miss its opportunity for seven points and an early lead.
LSU had three more pre-snap penalties on the following drive, but all was forgiven with a 22-yard reverse flea-flicker touchdown pass to wide open tight end Zach Grace, the first catch of his collegiate career. But the mistakes and missed opportunities returned in a more impactful fashion at the start of the second quarter.
After two incompletions led to a three-and-out on the Tigers’ first drive of the period, punter Grant Chadwick was forced to send the ball back to the Wildcats, who eagerly received his punt and brought it 55 yards back in his direction to retake the lead. Kentucky returner Brock Coffman stiff armed LSU safety Faheem Delane as he evaded the initial coverage and broke his big return down the sideline.
The SEC foes traded blows to close out the first half before the M&M’s returned. Leavitt threw his eighth interception of the season on the Tigers’ first offensive play after halftime. There was moderate pressure in the pocket, and a Wildcat hand rocketed into the throwing lane. But ultimately, Leavitt overthrew a slant to receiver Eugene Wilson III, who tipped the high ball into the arms of Kentucky safety Ty Bryant. In the stat of the year for the No. 1 player overall in the 2026 transfer portal, Leavitt became the only quarterback in the FBS to throw an interception in all of his games this season.
The Wildcats ate an M&M of their own, failing to turn the short field into any points thanks to a fourth-down pass break-up from freshman defensive tackle Deuce Geralds.
After trading punts, LSU settled for its second 24-yard field goal of the night in an uncharacteristic choice from coach Lane Kiffin to opt to cut the Kentucky lead to 21-20 instead of trying for the end zone on a fourth down from the 6-yard line. By the end of the third quarter, the Tigers had left eight points off the board by being forced to settle for red zone field goals and had given up 14 points on virtually two plays, a 77-yard run and a 55-yard punt return.
But somehow, those were not even the most costly missed opportunities of the game. After retaking the lead with more tight end trickery in the form of a 41-yard double pass touchdown from receiver Jackson Harris to newly-converted tight end Roman Mothershed, LSU was gifted a pair of costly Kentucky mistakes.
After quarterback Kinney Minchey took an unnecessary sack on third-and-four from the LSU 18-yard line, kicker Adam Zouagui missed a 42-yard field goal to level the scoreboard with under five minutes to go. The Tigers had their opportunity to capitalize just as Kentucky did and put the game on ice.
They opened their donated drive with a 4-yard Dilin Jones run up the middle. On second down, Leavitt faked the handoff to Jones and looked to pass. As the Kentucky pass rush engulfed him in a wall of his own offensive linemen, he made a last ditch effort to jump above the pressure and dump the ball to Jones. The ambitious and reckless attempt resulted in his second turnover of the evening with a fumble and gave the ball back to the Wildcats with just 13 yards between them and a go-ahead touchdown – a piercingly sour M&M.
Even still, the slate was whipped clean by another missed field goal from 26 yards out with 3:11 remaining. The Wildcats were practically asking the Tigers to punish them for their inability to seize their own opportunities, but for LSU, it became just another chance to do the same.
After earning a fresh set of downs before the two-minute timeout, the Tigers were 10 yards away from sealing their first victory in Lexington since 2002. Kiffin and offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. ran two Leavitt QB keepers that netted 0 yards. On third-and-10, Leavitt connected with receiver Winston Watkins Jr. on a 9-yard slant that left the Tigers with a fourth-and-one from their own 43-yard line. Kiffin chose to punt the ball back to the Wildcats, who took over at their 19-yard line with 1:37 on the clock.
This was another surprisingly conservative decision by the normally more gambling Kiffin, but one that was not unreasonable given the dominant defense LSU boasted entering the evening. And the defense had thwarted multiple threats on this night.
Even with the critical missed opportunity, the LSU defense still had one more chance to stop Kentucky and clinch a victory. Yet, the Wildcats marched 67 yards in nine plays and 1:25 with little resistance yet again from defensive coordinator Blake Baker’s unit. And Zouagui finally knocked through that game-tying field goal for a 27-27 final in regulation.
Both teams went on to score in overtime, but the Wildcats walked it off on a two-point conversion rush from quarterback Kenny Minchey. It was a heartbreaking end to a stunning upset, but one that could have been completely avoided. Whether it was a failed third-down conversion in the red zone, an avoidable tone-setting explosive run play or a demoralizing failure to end the game on your own terms, mistakes and missed opportunities held Kiffin’s Tigers back from a critical conference win.
When it came down to it in the final moments of regulation and when the clock was turned off altogether, the Wildcats seized their opportunities.
Kentucky fans stormed the field in celebration.
Tiger fans are left with a bag of crusty M&M’s.
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