After Georgia's close call, Ole Miss should have been better prepared for Kentucky

The SEC is the best football conference in the country. With the most teams in the top ten and the most national titles over the past two decades, it's hard to compete against teams in the Southeastern Conference.

However, when two SEC programs match up on a given week, it really could be anyone's game. In Week 5, the No. 6 Ole Miss Rebels hosted the unranked Kentucky Wildcats and struggled in the first half of the game.

Quarterback Jaxson Dart was repeatedly lit up by defensive linemen, the Rebels' defensive squad looked slow on the jump, and Ole Miss didn't seem to know what to do next.

At halftime, the Wildcats led the Rebels 10-7 and had held Dart to just 7 completions, 97 yards, and 0 touchdowns. Ole Miss only found the end zone on a 1-yard scramble by running back Henry Parrish Jr.

While Rebel fans were surprised, head coach Lane Kiffin and his squad shouldn't have been. The Wildcats are a good, sound football team with a solid coach in Mark Stoops. Not to mention, Kentucky had an excellent showing against then-No. 1 Georgia, holding the Bulldogs to just 13 points.

In the Wildcats' first SEC matchup of the season, Kentucky held the Bulldogs to just 262 total yards and 1 touchdown. While Kentucky didn't topple Georgia in their matchup, the game was an eye-opener for the entire country.

Ole Miss had an easy opening to its season through four games. The Rebels had only played against Furman, Middle Tennessee State, Wake Forrest, and Georgia Southern ahead of their first SEC matchup of the year and clearly weren't entirely prepared for the Wildcats in Week 5.

As the teams returned to the field, many expected to the Rebels to come out in full force but Ole Miss settled for a field goal on their first possession of the second half and allowed the Wildcats to score three points of their own on the next drive.

On Ole Miss' next offensive drive, wideout Tre Harris fumbled the ball and Kentucky recovered it. The next thing the Rebels knew, the Wildcats were once again marching down the field toward the end zone.

It took until just 10 seconds remained in the third quarter for a team to find the end zone as Dart finally connected with Harris for a 48-yard touchdown pass to put the Rebels ahead 17-13.

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