College Football

Kentucky Has a History of Giving Lane Kiffin Problems

October 8, 2026

Lane Kiffin’s coaching career has been marked by a frustratingly close rivalry with Kentucky, a program he’s faced five times and won four of—but always by seven points or fewer. Two of those games went to overtime, including a 30-24 victory in 2009 as Tennessee’s coach and a 42-41 win in 2020 with Ole Miss, where Kentucky’s 408 rushing yards still couldn’t overcome the Rebels’ late-game resilience.

The Wildcats finally broke through in 2024 with a 20-17 upset in Oxford, a moment Kiffin later called one of his toughest losses. Kiffin holds a 3-0 record in Lexington, including wins in 2009, 2020, and 2025, but his last meeting with Kentucky in 2021 ended in a 42-21 blowout loss for LSU.

Now, as Kiffin takes over at LSU, the Tigers aim to end a two-year losing streak against Kentucky in a high-stakes showdown at Kroger Field, where the Wildcats’ new offensive-minded coach, Will Stein, will look to build on a strong start to his first season—highlighted by road wins over Texas A&M and South Carolina in overtime.