Ole Miss football coach Lane Kiffin said he was disappointed and discouraged after his team's 20-17 loss against Kentucky that bumped his team down in the polls.

Speaking about 20 minutes after the Wildcats took the final kneel down on Saturday, Kiffin didn't mask the ill feeling at the forefront of his mind. He did, though, specify the feeling that would ruin the rest of his Saturday evening wouldn't impact his evaluation of the game.

"I'm not going to overreact in a loss like I don't overreact in a tight win," Kiffin said.

The Rebels were well positioned to sneak out a win with 4:03 remaining. Ole Miss was up 17-13 and had Kentucky at its own 19-yard line facing fourth-and-7. An Ole Miss stop would've essentially put the game on ice. Instead, an isolation turned into a big gain. Kentucky receiver Barion Brown beat Rebels corner Isaiah Hamilton on a go route down the left sideline and hauled in an over-the-shoulder pass for 63 yards.

Playing the what-if game for other plays yields similar results. If Ole Miss kicker Caden Davis hits the game-tying 48-yarder with 48 seconds left, everything changes. The same goes for the bizarre play on Kentucky's game-winning drive. If a Rebel grabs Kentucky's late fumble instead of Wildcats tight end Jash Kattus, everything changes.

It's why Kiffin took a reserved approach when asked to evaluate his team moving forward. In a sport where losses are magnified, Kiffin knows the what-if game can be played both ways.

"All of a sudden, our program isn't terrible, just like when (our opponent) misses a field goal or doesn't get a two-point conversion at the end of a game, I don't tell you we have all the answers," Kiffin said.

More: Here's where Ole Miss football ranks in the polls after Week 5 loss against Kentucky

Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart said he's doing his best to ensure the loss doesn't sink his team's season.

"You can't blink," Dart said. "We have a lot more opportunities. One game is not going to define the year, but at the same time you better make the most of the rest of your opportunities."

Dart completed 18-of-27 passes for a season-low 261 passing yards against Kentucky. He was also sacked a season-high four times. When asked how he evaluated his performance, Dart said it didn't matter because his team lost.

"There's not really much to say," Dart said. "You can look at it two ways: you can just quit, or you can take it on the chin and we're on the ground right now, you either stay down or get up."

Sam Hutchens covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at Shutchens@gannett.com or reach him on X at @Sam_Hutchens_

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Why Ole Miss football coach Lane Kiffin isn't going scorched earth