Ole Miss defensive lineman Tavius Robinson recovered a fumble with 51 seconds left in the game Saturday afternoon to help the No. 14 Rebels hold on for a 22-19 win over No. 7 Kentucky in Southeastern Conference play at Oxford, Miss.

Down to the Ole Miss 12-yard line with 58 seconds left, defensive end Jared Ivey hit Kentucky quarterback Will Levis to force a fumble. Robinson pounced on the ball to seal the victory.

Quinshon Judkins rushed for 106 yards on 15 carries with a touchdown, and Zach Evans ran for a score for the Rebels (5-0, 1-0 SEC). Jaxson Dart was 15 of 29 for 213 yards with one interception.

For the Wildcats (4-1, 1-1), Levis went 18 of 24 for 220 yards and tossed TD passes to Tayvion Robinson and Justice Dingle. But the quarterback lost crucial fumbles on his team’s last two drives.

The SEC’s second-leading rusher last year, Chris Rodriguez Jr., made his season debut with 72 yards on 19 carries and a score.

In the first meeting as ranked teams since 1958, the Rebels scored on their second series when Evans bulled his way between the tackles from 4 yards out.

After Kentucky kicker Matt Ruffolo was wide on a 39-yard field goal attempt, Judkins dashed 48 yards for a 14-0 lead.

On the ensuing kickoff, Barion Brown’s 85-yard return set up Rodriguez’s 10-yard scoring run, but the extra point was blocked.

After a Rebels punt backed up Kentucky to its own 1, Tavius Robinson finished a blitz by forcing Levis to throw the ball away while in the end zone. It was called intentional grounding, leading to a safety, making it 16-6 with 10:28 left in the first half.

Following Jonathan Cruz’s 53-yard field goal for a 19-6 Ole Miss lead, Tayvion Robinson scored on a short pass from Levis, but Kentucky’s second letdown on special teams — a bobbled snap — led to another failed PAT.

In the third quarter, Dingle’s 17-yard reception and his team’s first successful extra point at 6:22 tied it at 19, but Cruz’s second field goal from 26 yards proved to be the game-winning score.

–Field Level Media