No. 25 Kentucky Stuns No. 10 LSU 35-34 in Overtime as Minchey Runs In Two-Point Conversion
At Kroger Field in Lexington on Saturday night, No. 25 Kentucky authored a stunning upset, beating No. 10 LSU 35-34 in overtime. Quarterback Kenny Minchey ran untouched on a two-point conversion in the extra period, sealing one of the wildest finishes of the college football season in front of 61,897 delirious fans.
LSU struck first in overtime, with quarterback Sam Leavitt capping a two-play drive with a 15-yard touchdown run and an extra point for a 34-27 lead. Kentucky answered as running back C.J. Baxter punched in a 1-yard touchdown to make it 34-33. Rather than kick for a second overtime, coach Will Stein went for two — and Minchey, seeing the middle wide open on the called play, ran it in clean for the win.
The victory capped a dramatic comeback. Kentucky led 21-17 at halftime, then fell behind in the second half. With 12 seconds left in regulation, kicker Adam Zouagui nailed a 33-yard field goal to force overtime — redemption after missing from 42 and 26 yards earlier in the fourth quarter.
Minchey finished 23-of-36 for 246 yards passing, with 206 of those coming in the second half. Baxter carried 19 times for 123 yards and two touchdowns, and freshman receiver Kenny Darby — who had originally committed to LSU — caught four passes for 79 yards, including a 22-yard grab in overtime that set up the winning sequence. Leavitt went 25-of-34 for 275 yards and two touchdowns for LSU, but an interception and a fumble proved costly.
Kentucky improved to 5-1 overall and 3-1 in the SEC with its fourth straight win, while LSU fell to 4-2 and 1-2 in conference play, with its College Football Playoff hopes taking a serious hit. "I'm in shock," Stein said afterward. "Everybody picked LSU. Keep doing that. It gives us a lot of fuel."
It was Kentucky's second straight overtime win and a statement to the nation: even shorthanded — down three linebackers, two defensive backs and a defensive lineman — this team has the resilience no contender can ignore.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: Fuzzy510，CC BY 2.5（Wikimedia Commons）
