Kentucky Beats No. 10 LSU With Overtime Conversion in Lexington

Kentucky defeated No. 10 LSU 35-34 in overtime on Saturday night in Lexington, Ky., as quarterback Kenneth Minchey scored a two-point conversion after C.J. Baxter's 1-yard touchdown run to give the Wildcats the victory.

According to The Associated Press, LSU scored first in overtime when quarterback Sam Leavitt ran for a 15-yard touchdown, but Kentucky answered with Baxter's score and Minchey's conversion. Kentucky improved to 5-1 overall and 3-1 in the Southeastern Conference, while LSU fell to 4-2 and 1-2 in conference play.

Minchey completed 23 of 36 passes for 246 yards, including 206 yards in the second half, according to The Associated Press. Baxter rushed for 123 yards and two touchdowns, with 77 yards coming on Kentucky's first play of the game.

Minchey explained the decision on the overtime conversion after finding open space in the middle of the field.

"There was nobody in the middle, so I figured I would run there. We had our play called, and I wasn't necessarily part of it, but that's what my read told me to so I ran it in. It was great," Minchey said.

Freshman receiver Kenneth Darby, who had originally committed to LSU, recorded four catches for 79 yards. His 22-yard reception in overtime moved Kentucky to the LSU 1-yard line before Baxter's touchdown.

Kentucky coach Will Stein said the team overcame missed opportunities and outside expectations after the Wildcats were picked against before the game.

"I’m in shock. We’ve got a really good football team. People count us out.

I took a picture of (ESPN) College GameDay this morning; everyone picked LSU. Keep doing that. It gives us a lot of fuel.

It wasn’t pretty. It wasn’t perfect. We just kept chopping.

We kept fighting," Stein said.

Stein said LSU's offense created challenges during the game, while Kentucky played without three linebackers, two defensive backs and a defensive lineman. Leavitt finished with 275 passing yards and two touchdowns but also threw an interception and lost a fumble.

"It’s just tough to stop those guys. I mean, Sam Leavitt’s really good. They got big backs.

They were throwing it all over the yard. This is not to discredit our defense, our defense made some unbelievable plays and takeaways and dealing with injuries," Stein said.

LSU coach Lane Kiffin said turnovers and execution issues affected the Tigers' performance. LSU gained 410 yards after entering the game averaging 547.8 yards per game, while its defense allowed Kentucky to produce 401 yards after giving up 220.6 yards per game on average.

"It came down to a one-play game, but there were a lot of plays before that to close the game out. We had the ball ahead, and turned it over. Disappointing all three phases.

If you don't execute, you don't execute. On the punt return (a 55-yard touchdown by Brock Coffman), we had a player there tackling him and he didn't tackle him. If you don't execute, you get exposed against a good team," Kiffin said.

Kentucky earned its second consecutive overtime victory, with both games ending 35-34. The Wildcats will visit Oklahoma next Saturday, while LSU will host No. 17 Mississippi State.