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AP voters move Kentucky back in to top 25 after win over LSU

Kentucky’s rollercoaster season took another dramatic turn after the Wildcats secured a 35–34 overtime victory over top-10 LSU in Lexington. The win marked the second straight overtime triumph for head coach **Will Stein**, who admitted his team’s resilience was running thin after two nail-biters in seven days.

Kentucky’s explosive start set the tone: running back **C.J. Baxter** broke a 77-yard touchdown run on the opening drive and finished with 123 yards and two scores, while the defense stifled LSU’s rushing attack to just 94 yards on 36 carries.

Quarterback **Kenny Minchey**, a Notre Dame transfer, shifted gears in the second half, completing 23 of 36 passes for 246 yards after a slow first half. The game hinged on late drama, including a missed 26-yard field goal by **Adam Zouagui** and a critical fumble by LSU’s **Sam Leavitt** at his own 13-yard line.

Zouagui’s clutch 33-yarder with 12 seconds left forced overtime, where Kentucky’s **Kenny Darby**—a former LSU commit—delivered the game-winning reception in a rematch of their recruiting battle. The Associated Press responded by vaulting Kentucky into the top 25 at No.

15, the largest single-week jump in the poll, after the team had been unranked following its overtime win at South Carolina just seven days prior.

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