Kentucky edges No. 10 LSU 35-34 in OT on Minchey's 2-point conversion

Kentucky skipped the extra point in overtime Saturday night and won the game on a 2-point try. Quarterback Minchey carried the conversion in himself, and the Wildcats beat No. 10 LSU 35-34.

The win moves Kentucky to 5-1 overall and 3-1 in the SEC, according to the Associated Press recap published by NBC Sports. LSU falls to 4-2 with the loss to an unranked team.

The game only reached overtime after Kentucky kicker Adam Zouagui nearly let it get away. With less than five minutes left in regulation he missed from 42 yards and then from 26. The second miss came right after LSU quarterback Leavitt was sacked and fumbled. Zouagui got another chance and hit a 33-yard field goal with 12 seconds left to force overtime.

Freshman receiver Kenneth Darby, who was once committed to LSU, made the key play in the extra period. His 22-yard catch put the Wildcats at the LSU 1 and set up the finish. Darby ended with four catches for 79 yards.

Minchey, a Notre Dame transfer, did very little in the first half. He threw for just 40 yards before the break, per the report, then finished 23 of 36 for 246 yards. Of those, 206 came after halftime and 131 in the fourth quarter. Baxter gave Kentucky its early push on the ground. He ran 77 yards on the Wildcats' first play from scrimmage and finished with 123 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

Leavitt completed 25 of 34 passes for 275 yards and two touchdowns for LSU. He also threw an interception and lost the late fumble that gave Kentucky its chance. The Tigers' last lead of regulation came on a trick play: wide receiver Jackson Harris threw a 41-yard touchdown pass to Roman Mothershed with 9:42 left, putting LSU up 27-24.

The bigger concern for LSU is its defense. Coming into the game, the Tigers were allowing 220.6 yards per game, third-best in the country. Kentucky put up 401 yards against them. LSU came in near the top of the SEC race, and a road loss to a team picked to finish in the middle of the league leaves the Tigers needing to recover quickly.

That starts next Saturday at home against No. 17 Mississippi State, a ranked opponent in a game with clear conference stakes for both teams. The Tigers will want answers for the run defense that gave up the 77-yard play on the first snap and for the turnovers that cost them late.

Kentucky goes on the road to Oklahoma next Saturday with momentum and an offense that found its passing game in the second half. If Minchey plays like he did after halftime, the Wildcats will head to Norman with a real chance to stay in the SEC race into the second half of the season.