The Auburn versus Kentucky matchup comes following another disappointing loss for the Tigers; as the team came up short against the Missouri Tigers last week. Heading into their Week 9 matchup, the Tigers are going to have to find a way to put it all together and finish a game in the fourth quarter.
As summarized by head coach Hugh Freeze’s quote from his press conference, “I still think we play not to lose instead of let’s play to win. Truthfully, we’re probably coaching that way, too.”
Can the Auburn Tigers bounce-back against Kentucky in Week 9? Follow along to learn the keys to this matchup.
Auburn Tigers vs. Kentucky Wildcats Series History & Excerpts
The Tigers and Wildcats have faced off 34 times. Auburn has won a majority of those matchups (27) while Kentucky has won six – with one tie between the two schools. Auburn holds a current win streak of three games, including the last win against the Wildcats in 2020.
Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops acknowledged the challenge Kentucky will have with Auburn when he spoke to the media.
“They had every opportunity to beat a very very good Missouri team on the road and had every opportunity to win that game, and so you can see it coming.”
Key Players for Auburn
On offense, the Auburn Tigers will need to play a clean game and rely on their playmakers in this contest. The offense has to score more than 10 points (seven were scored by the defense last week) and not leave long drives empty like they did against Missouri.
Running back Jarquez Hunter is currently the best player on Auburn’s offense, and needs to be used as such. Hunter had 19 carries last week in an unusually inefficient game, with only 57 yards. His usage should be similar in the run game and it would be great to see him more in the passing game.
Meanwhile, wide receiver Cam Coleman, despite scoring a touchdown, only had that one catch for 47 yards. He still needs to be more involved in the gameplan. KeAndre Lambert-Smith, Auburn’s leading receiver this year, was limited to two catches for 16 yards against Missouri. The senior wide receiver desperately needs to be featured more against the Wildcats for Auburn to have a better chance at winning.
As for the defense, despite the game-losing drive, the Tigers looked as good as it has all year against Missouri. Against Kentucky, it should be no different. Kentucky is more limited on offense than Missouri, so Auburn’s defense can change the game if they step up.
Defensive captain Eugene Asante made a great impact last week with seven tackles and two sacks. Asante finally stepped up to make the impact he is known for against Missouri, and will need to do the same against Kentucky. Meanwhile, freshman cornerback Jay Crawford and sophomore cornerback Kayin Lee will both have challenges of their own. If they can play a good game, Kentucky’s passing attack will be very limited. That will make the game much easier for Auburn.
Key Players for Kentucky
Kentucky’s offense is led by junior quarterback Brock Vandagriff, senior running back Demie Sumo-Karngbaye and a duo of junior receivers in Dane Key and Barion Brown.
Vandagriff transferred in from Georgia and has been the full-time starter for the Wildcats this season. So far, he’s compiled 1,116 passing yards, six passing touchdowns and four interceptions. Only completing 57.1 percent of his passes, Vandagriff will have to be more accurate against Auburn’s defense. Demie
Sumo-Karngbaye has 92 carries for 419 yards and four touchdowns on the ground, while also being the third-leading receiver on the team with 12 receptions and 108 yards receiving. The offense seems to run through him literally and figuratively.
At receiver, Key and Brown lead the team in receiving yards and receptions, combining for 57 receptions and 770 yards receiving and five touchdowns. No one else on the team has more than 10 receptions. If Key and Brown are contained, it will be interesting to see where the Wildcats turn to in this matchup.
Ultimately, this game will be impacted by Kentucky’s defense and a trio of their linebackers. D’Eryk Jackson and Jamon Dumas-Johnson are top five on the team in tackles, with 30 and 32 respectively. Both players are extremely versatile options within the Wildcats defense.
The third linebacker is J.J. Weaver, who has 19 total tackles and leads the team in sacks. The senior linebacker has four sacks, on pace for a career-high this season if he continues his current pace. The other three leading tacklers on the team are all defensive backs, so the Wildcats defense has players at all levels that will impact this game.
Keys to victory for the Auburn Tigers
The keys to Auburn winning this game are finishing drives on offense and forcing the Kentucky offense to be one-dimensional. Auburn’s playmakers will have to do exactly that, make plays especially in key moments.
Quarterback Payton Thorne, outside of a few plays, has played well since his resurgence into the starting lineup. However, he has not gotten help from his teammates. This has led to stalled and empty drives in times where Auburn cannot afford it.
Defensively, Auburn has to finish drives. The Tigers must stop the Kentucky passing game, because outside of Brown and Key their options are limited. Vandagriff does not have the excess of talent around him like Thorne to rely on and can be pressured into mistakes.
Recruiting Roundup
On the recruiting front, Auburn lost a recruit, but has the potential to gain one as well. Five-star OT Andrew Babalola committed to Michigan this week – a player Auburn was targeting. However, five-star QB Jared Curtis de-committed from Georgia last week and has scheduled a visit with Auburn.
Upcoming visits that the Tigers have include recent commit Sam Turner, four-star defensive lineman Joseph Mbatchou, and three-star Tennessee commit Darrion Smith from the 2025 class.
Of the 2026 class, Auburn has visits scheduled with Spencer Unruh (and the aforementioned Curtis). All of these visits are on the weekend of November 1.
