Kentucky's 2-point call pays off in 35-34 overtime win over No. 10 LSU

Kentucky got its second consecutive overtime win by the same 35-34 score on Saturday night.

A week after beating South Carolina on the road, the Wildcats upset No. 10 LSU on QB Kenny Minchey's 2-point conversion run. The Wildcats are the first team in FBS history — remember, overtime was implemented in 1996 — to win back-to-back games by a single point in OT.

The decision to go for the game-winning conversion came after some gamesmanship between both LSU coach Lane Kiffin and Kentucky coach Will Stein. After Kiffin called timeout when Kentucky lined up to go for the win, Stein returned the favor on the next formation just barely before one of his players committed a false start penalty.

If the play wasn't a quarterback draw, it might as well have been. Minchey dropped back to pass and there were no defenders in the middle of the field as he waltzed into the end zone for the win.

The victory also comes a week after Kentucky inexplicably fell out of the AP Top 25 after the South Carolina win. The Wildcats (5-1) were No. 24 entering the game in South Carolina and came back from an early 17-0 deficit. They somehow dropped out of the poll entirely after the victory and entered Saturday's game against the Tigers unranked.

Not only will Kentucky (5-1) be ranked on Sunday, the Wildcats don't have any games remaining against teams who entered Week 6 in the top 10. Kentucky may hang around in the thick of the SEC title game race for a while.

LSU, meanwhile, is on the College Football Playoff precipice already. With games remaining against Mississippi State, Alabama, Texas and Tennessee, the Tigers (4-2) may not be able to afford another loss and still make the 12-team field.

A big reason for that? QB Sam Leavitt's turnovers. Leavitt had an interception and a fumble in the second half against the Wildcats, and LSU is incredibly fortunate that Kentucky didn't win in regulation. UK kicker Adam Zouagui missed a go-ahead 26-yard field goal with 3:11 to go when Leavitt fumbled at the LSU 13. That was Zouagui's second miss of the quarter, and Kentucky turned the ball over on downs in the third quarter after Leavitt's pick.

Leavitt has now thrown eight interceptions across six games in 2026. Over 20 games at Arizona State in 2024 and 2025, he threw nine interceptions across 589 pass attempts.